BeastWars: The Dark Era
by Amaunet85
Summary: An RP made into a story; follow the BeastWars in its entirety, but not just with the characters from the show itself, but also with a bunch of new ones, giving everything a whole new angle, and much more back-story. Rated T for violence and hints at adult-scenes
1. Chapter 1

A/N: First of I want to apologise for not continuing with my other fanfics at the moment. As much as I love them, and as much as I love writing, I have no inspiration for writing them at the moment, so please forgive me for leaving you hanging there (I realised I was in trouble when I was watching AvP2 the other day, and got zero inspiration for APS... ). Maybe while writing this, I'll gain some more inspiration in that department too *keeps fingers crossed*

I'm fairly confident that I can bring you updates for this one reasonably fast. This fanfic will also contain a bunch of characters that me and a friend made up, and have roleplayed for years. I once started something similar, but that really wasn't all that good, and now I'm actually going to follow the same storyline we had in our rp, and will not limit myself to putting only one of my own chars in there. Of course, it will be written out as a story instead of an rp, so will be longer than the rp ever was (as I really don't need to watch the amount of text I put in here, lol).  
Anyway, I hope you'll enjoy it, and if there's anything unclear or you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact me ))

"Hull breach in sector 7.. Guidance system, -failing-."

"We're going down.."

Those were the last words recorded on her harddisk before all went dark. Hyperwing grimaces as she sits up, scrubbing a hand over her face to try and get her bearings. Her neon blue and black plating is damaged from the crash, but being a lot sturdier than most bots - and capable of sustaining a lot more damage at that and surviving - it's not much more than a few dents and she can safely ignore it. The colouring is just for show, she could change it to any colour she likes, but she has found that having bright colouring makes bots underestimate her for some reason. Due to the strength of her body and systems, she's likely to be the first one awake as well, despite not being strapped down like the rest of the crew likely was, or at least, should have been.

She forces herself up and looks around, glad to see several of the cargo bay's crates smashed, debris everywhere. She allows herself a brief smile. With so much damage everywhere, she's fairly certain no one will notice the fact that some cargopods are not accounted for and thus one of the many secrets she carries will remain a secret. Having taken the responsibility of ejecting the ship's stasispods into safe orbit, she's glad none of the other Maximals followed her to help, meaning she had the opportunity to eject those three special extra pods, which are now also floating safely in space. She had hoped that she would be able to activate them wherever they would end up, away from the Maximal High Command, but when Sharp was suddenly assigned to this mission as well and they were forced to pursue Megatron and his cronies to boot, she was forced to rethink the plan. And now they seem to be in a totally different place than they had aimed for. So much for a nice and relaxing sciencemission from which she could escape with those she values by her side.

Now it will be a challenge to keep anyone from learning about the extra pods she ejected, or her supposed mission, and especially to keep Sharp at bay. Hopefully she can settle something with the other Agent of the Maximal High Command before any of them land. Though, maybe... She flicks on her comlink.

"Hyperwing to anyone, does anyone read?" she asks through the comlink, hoping more crewmembers have survived the crash, though she could do without Sharp. That would make being a double Agent a whole lot easier. And then she might be able to tell the rest of the crew and convince them to join her spark's mission to bring the Maximal High Command down.

Optimus Primal comes to with a start and a gasp, his body jerking and causing him pain.  
"D-damage report..." he says, though that causes him more pain. He looks at the source of the pain and sees a girder piercing his midsection just to the left of his sparkchamber. It's pinning him to the floor on his back, but a quick touch of the floor shows he isn't leaking too much energon or mechfluid. At least he won't be dying today, it seems. Assuming of course that he's not the only one that has survived. The thought makes his spark constrict. His ship was filled with his friends, whether they were on the bridge with him, or in stasis, waiting until they arrived at wherever their mission of science would end up taking them. But they didn't even get close to the sector in space they were heading for. Instead, they were ordered to follow a Predacon spacecraft, and that, aside from completely throwing them off course, seems to have destroyed his ship and who knows how many of his friends. From what he can see, the ship must have rolled when it crash-landed, meaning more damage overall.

"Working on restoring power," Rhinox states from his chair at a console. "The backup systems don't power the chairs - and this one's not moving."

Squirming in his seat, he tries to get out, but his body being big and cumbersome, it doesn't work at all. This wasn't exactly the way he thought this mission was going to begin. He was looking forwards to discovering new species of both flora and fauna on distant worlds.

"Anyone got th' FoF-number off'a that planet..?" a voice comes from the other side of the bridge. "'Cause I think it was a 'foe'..."

Rattrap unstraps himself from his chair and takes a few seconds to steady himself on his feet. He seems to be undamaged. So those seatbelts are actually there for a reason, it turns out. Then he sees Optimus.

"Ah scrap - Rhinox, can't you see the Boss-bot?" he asks as he rushes over to Optimus. Looking at Rhinox, he sees that the taller bot can indeed not see their leader, stuck in his chair as he is. He probably doesn't see the other bots sprawled around the command centre either...

Rhinox struggles with his chair as he tries to move it and stop it from pinning him against the console. His optics catch a glimpse of his friend and he doubles his efforts, resulting in the bottom of the chair tearing away from the floor fixture. Though it allows him to move, he still feels guilty over the fact that the action resulted in damaging the Axalon further. He knows how much Optimus cares about the ship...

Sharp groans, coming around as Hyperwing enters the bridge. Hyperwing holds back a sigh of relief. If Sharp knew what she's been doing... And Sharp didn't become the High Command's best Agent by not seeing what's going on under her nose. Unless of course, she was unconscious like just now. She crosses over to Rhinox, taking hold of the dented backrest of the seat which is still stuck to his body, if not attached to the ship anymore, and breaking it off so he can move freely once more. The brown and green coloured bot thanks her briefly, before getting a medikit from one of the compartments and joining Rattrap at Optimus' side to assess his damage, while Hyperwing heads to one of the consoles, making a few scans to better understand their current situation.

"The pods are all in orbit, so safe, for the time being," she reports, taking care to keep her face neutral and her voice cold as she speaks.

"Then, at least they'll be alright," Optimus says, breathing a sigh of relief. However this turns out, his friends will be kept safe, and hopefully they will be able to pick them up again as they leave this planet and return to Cybertron.

Hyperwing's optics widen momentarily at the readings she gets from the scanners. She knows they're hardly working, but the data they do get isn't what she had expected.  
"The planet indicates mass storages of energon..." She pauses a moment to let that sink in. "Far too much for our bodies to handle. We will need to find something to keep it from destroying us. Scanners are mostly down and I advice strongly that those be made a priority. We don't know what the Predacons are up to, so we will need them as a warning system for their proximity."

"Did we lose anyone?" Optimus asks, worry flashing in his optics when he sees Sharp limp after scrambling up.

Sharp keeps from smiling, making a show of the limb hurting a lot as she moves over to Optimus, acting all caring and worried. That's her role in this whole affair - gain their trust, then kill them when X activates. It only helps that Hyperwing is there. Since they know Hyperwing is an Agent, they automatically dislike and distrust her. And it means they won't consider the possibility of a second Agent on board at all. Especially since she's behaving so differently from Hyperwing. At first she wasn't sure if it was a good idea for Hyperwing to be involved in this mission. After all, it would be her first team-mission, and she had recently failed to bring in experiments Twelve and Thirteen. The High Command didn't see that as an excuse to terminate Hyperwing though. Sharp can understand why, since the fembot has been molded to be their perfect soldier, but it does make her uneasy. Failure means death. So what caused them to reconsider killing Hyperwing when she returned empty handed? It's definitely something to investigate. The fellow Agent is bound to know more about the reasons.

Hyperwing performs a brief scan of the base itself, using her own scanners to verify the data, and gets up from the console. She turns, lefting some debris and revealing their small medic - out cold, but apparently intact. She leaves the small bot uncovered, going to the other location the scans indicated. She could help Rhinox fix Optimus, but with him, Rattrap and Sharp hovering over him, one more bot would likely only crowd him. That, and it would seem out of character for her. The twisted mess of a bot she finds at the other location leaves no questions or doubts though. She keeps a sigh inside. As a warrior, she is used to seeing death around her, but these are scientists, and unused to the black side of life. As much as she would like to show she cares about the fact that the news she now has to bring will hurt the crewmembers, she knows she can't show it.

"We lost Cheetor," she reports through the comlink, her face not as neutral as her voice sounds. She sets about moving the corpse, knowing it will be difficult enough for them to face without seeing the twisted mess with an impaled head and sparkchamber.

"Your sparkchamber is fully functional," Rhinox states with a nod, trying to keep everyone's minds on the things they -can- change. "So let's get you off of this thing and patched up."

Optimus gimaces even more when he hears Hyperwing. He grips Rattrap's and Sharp's hands tightly as they pull him up with permission from Rhinox.  
"Easy..." Rhinox warns needlessly, ensuring the girder remains still so it doesn't scrape their leader's sparkchamber. Hyperwing could have waited until Optimus was in the medical bay at least...  
Rattrap instantly feels guilty - the last thing he said to Cheetor was an insult. So were most of the things he said to the younger bot...

Hyperwing returns to the bridge, having left the remains of the bot she found there for now. The Maximals will likely want a ceremony once they have the time for it, even if it was the bot's own fault for not strapping himself in when he was told to do so. She looks around, having been noting the state of the ship on her way back. It's sheer luck the CR-chamber is still functional, even if they lack the power needed to make it run at the moment.

"The engines are busted and our canon is gone. There are several hull breaches and our stabiliser has blown. She won't fly again," she reports. She tries to ignore the dejected and defeated look Optimus' gets at the latest piece of bad news, but she can't help but feel rather guilty about it. But more importantly, she dislikes how unprotected this all leaves them. Being a vessel made for science, the Axalon only had the one main cannon, which would only have been used to protect themselves from attackers while making an escape. Going after a Predacon warship isn't exactly something they could have expected it to have to do.

"At least the pods are all safe," Sharp says in a slight effort to make them all feel better, patting Optimus' arm gently as she gives him her most compassionate smile.

Hyperwing heads over to the Maximal commander and those tending to him, putting her hand on Rhinox's shoulder a moment.

"You're the bot with the brains here. Find a way for us to survive the energon-radiation. I can patch him up," she says, taking the medikit from his hands and kneeling down at Optimus' side, keeping the injured bot between herself and Sharp. She could likely find it too, but it's not wise to let everyone know all she can do lest they become suspicious of why she doesn't do those things all the time.

Rhinox gives a slight nod and lets her take over, heading to his console and opening the panel underneath it. He needs the power up before he can run any simulations and find the solution to the problem. Though, hopefully, the Predacons are having the same problem and will also need time to work on a solution.

"I suppose I'll get started on clearin' up..." Rattrap says, as he can't do anything without power either. He starts moving anything badly damaged or destroyed out of the way, to an unused corner of the bridge. Anything not too big for him to move, that is. Sometimes it sucks not being as tall as the rest of the crew - except for their medic, who's even shorter than he is.

Tailbite groans softly, starting to come to slowly. Her head hurts a bit, and she remembers hitting it against the console before everything went black. She blinks, looking around and trying to decide what's happened and if everyone is still alive. She sees Hyperwing fixing Optimus, but the Agent seems to know what she's doing, so she'd best not interfere. The demeanour of fembot often has Tailbite a little scared. It might have something to do with the lack of emotion displayed, or the fact that Hyperwing has a tendency to lean slightly forwards when speaking to her, effectively towering over her completely. It's very unnerving...

Rattrap notices her awake and moves over to her, offering her a hand to help her up.  
"Everyone's alright - but we lost Cheetor..." he explains, grimacing at the last bit. "Did ya get hurt?"  
The smile that started to form on the little female's lips falters at the news and her shoulders droop. Cheetor was such a bright bot to have around. Always kind, and always willing to play a game. It helped that they were actually very close in age.

"I'm fine," she assures Rattrap, letting out a deep sigh. With a nod and after making sure she is steady on her feet, Rattrap leaves her to return to lugging around debris. She moves over to Sharp where the other Maximal is sitting on the ground, near Optimus, and starts fixing the injury on her leg. It doesn't appear to be a bad injury at all..

"Thanks, Hyperwing," Optimus says with a nod as Hyperwing sets about repairing him, going about it as she does everything else - cold and logical, as if she were fixing just another system, not saving the life of a bot. He doubts the fem will say much in reply. She rarely does.

"Just try not to do it again," Hyperwing says, a ghost of a smile on her face for mere moments before it goes cold and icy again as she works to close the hole in his chest. Having missed the smile, and never having heard her make a joke, he assumes she means it.

"Right..." he mutters, resisting the urge to roll his optics. As if he could avoid a damaged ship from injuring him.

There is a spark and a swear from under the console just as the lights brighten.  
"Power's back on," Rhinox says, coming out from under the console and shaking his hand to get the feeling back in his fingers. He heads over to another system and starts running simulations on what kind of substance they can simulate to protect them from the energon radiation.

"You will still need a healing cycle, but this should keep you going until we know what our situation is," Hyperwing says as she closes up the medikit and rises from her position. She keeps the kit nearby, in case they need it again, and joins Rhinox, looking at the data pouring in.

Sharp smiles at Optimus, as if happy he's repaired and functional again. She gets up when Tailbite is done, stretching her leg carefully as if it might still give her trouble. Maybe she can hook Primal, get her claws into him properly and subtly start to run this whole operation without any of the other Maximals being aware of it. It wouldn't be the first time she's done that, and if they're to be stuck here for some time, she does need some form of entertainment...

"We have the materials aboard to synthesise a pseudo-skin - if we apply it to new alt-modes, then we could explore the area and remain shielded," Rhinox says, voicing his initial opinions. "The local fauna can provide plenty of choices."

Rattrap groans at the prospect of having to change his alt-mode.  
"This ain't even gonna be an -upgrade-..." he grumbles.

Hyperwing, though she'd never admit it, is impressed by Rhinox's ingenuity. Dressing themselves as local lifeforms will have many advantages. She activates the console next to Rhinox to scroll through the possible alternative modes. A rare smile shows on her face as she does, recognizing most of them, before she smooths it over. She lights up as she finds a small, brightly coloured frog, before realising what her face is betraying and regaining her composure, glad Sharp can't see her face from her current position.

"Dibs on the poison dart frog," she says. A mode where her very skin is poisonous is just wonderful, especially since it will likely make her immune to any poisons she's not already immune to. But truth be told, she just likes them. Back when she was on Earth, she could watch them for hours, never failing to be entertained by their antics. For their sizes, they are formidable predators. And now she gets to be one. True, with an altmode like that, it will be hard for her to hide, but as the only, known that is, warrior on the ship, she doesn't need hiding as much as she needs brute strength. The dexterity of the frog will only add to her own. Yes, she thinks she'll like this alt-mode very much.

Sharp moves over to Hyperwing's console, frowning over the other fembot's shoulder at the list of possibilities. She's never had an interest in all this scientific stuff, let alone the organic stuff that came along with it. She can pretend to know a lot about it though. It irks her that Hyperwing seems to know more about these creatures than she does, more so because it raises the question again of how much the other Agent knows about their current location.

"I want that," she says, pointing at a creature with a mouth full of teeth. It looks nice and mean. Though she could go for a nice and sweet-looking alt-mode too, she prefers to have something she can defend herself with. After transforming into a tank, everything is a downgrade, but this doesn't seem all too bad. Of course, knowing nothing of Earth's fauna, she doesn't know it's a fish.

"Oh no, please, let me be th' bright blue target..." Rattrap says mockingly as he looks in as well. Only a true idiot would make themselves stand out so much. Then again, that might help them get rid of the Agent and keep the government from sticking their nose into things that are really not their business. He's told Optimus from the start of this mission he didn't like it, didn't trust it. He wouldn't be surprised if it turned out the Agent was responsible for the crash to begin with! But saying that where the Agent might hear would likely end up with him being silenced, and he likes himself too much to get killed.

Rhinox shrugs and flags a rhinoceros for himself and chooses an equally powerful form for their leader - a gorilla. Optimus probably won't want to worry about choosing, having enough on his mind already with their situation and the status of the ship. He instructs the Axalon's subsystems to begin manufacturing enough of the protective material for all of them and feeding it into the CR-chamber. Optimus gains his new alt-mode first - his injuries being repaired along the way, though not completely, as a full cycle would take too long and they need to be ready for the Predacons to attack him. It dawns on Rhinox that they could be in some serious trouble should the Darksyde be able to fly still. But then, if that were the case, wouldn't they be dead already..?

One by one the Maximals gain their new alternative modes, one happier than the other with the prospect of being an organic being as opposed to their vehicle-modes before. Hyperwing is one of the last to gain hers, having been keeping an eye on the systems and scanners. She didn't reply to the now rat's joke, mostly because she didn't want anyone telling her she couldn't have this mode after all - Maximals have a thing against killing. Or at least, -these- Maximals do. When she emerges from the chamber, she's happy to notice her own colour scheme has barely changed, even if this mode means that in her alternative mode she's a lot closer to the ground than she's used to. But, oh, the perks this mode gives her...

"Said colourful target is poisonous to the touch," she tells the rat as she transforms, inspecting her new transformed mode and taking note of where the potentially lethal beastmode skin is. It wouldn't do to poison anyone without her meaning to. She'll have to learn to keep her parts away from the others, or at least learn how to control when she poisons those that touch her. "If it'll draw Predacons like mad because of the colours, then all the better - they will be defeated quickly that way."

Tailbite squeaks softly at that, looking at Hyperwing with big eyes. She hops back and away from Hyperwing, the flying squirrel now even more intimidated by the other fembot. Why on Cybertron would anyone want an alternative mode that could kill on touch..? Rattrap seems to have the same thoughts, stepping back as well, even though he is nowhere close to her. The much taller female keeps from smirking - that would be showing entirely too much emotion - but it is fun to intimidate, even if she isn't even actively trying to do so.  
"Right..." he mutters, then looks at Optimus. "I'm gonna go scout th' area."

Optimus nods, currently in his gorilla form. He's glad not to have a hole in him anymore, regardless of how well patched it was. Now he just has to deal with.. well.. everything.  
"Remain in beastmode and don't engage the Predacons if you find them," he orders the rat, not wanting one of them to get into any trouble just yet. And with all that needs to be done at the base, he can't spare the troops it would take to be certain trouble wouldn't bother them all that much.

Sharp exits the CR-chamber, smiling smugly as she examines her new and improved transformed body. The line of teeth lining the sides of her body is very promising indeed. She transforms to get a feel of her beastmode, only to find she can't move much - aside from wriggling on the floor and causing even more damage to the ship. But worse; she can't even breathe. She transforms, gasping for air, before growling in anger and frustration and hitting her fists on the nearest console.  
"This is -useless-!" she announces to the smashed console, before stalking out of the command centre, unwilling to face any of the Maximals right now. She doesn't want to own up to the fact she really didn't do her research before choosing a beastmode, but at the moment, they must all be aware of the fact that she specifically choose it.

Hyperwing can't keep a straight face as the fish wriggles, but when Sharp erupts and stalks off, she can't hold in it. She barely manages to keep the sound inside while Sharp is still within audioshot, holding a hand in front of her mouth in an effort to hide her mirth, before even that is futile, the noises she males and the movements her body makes clearly show she's laughing.

The other Maximals present manage to contain their laughter, not wanting to insult Sharp and gain her ire - until Hyperwing starts laughing. They instantly forget Sharp's stupidity and look at the fem, quite amazed at the level of emotion she's showing. Especially considering the coldness she's exhibited since they met.  
"Are... Y'all right?" Rattrap asks, his look of wonder being replaced by a look of worry. If she's losing it, they need to escape.

Hyperwing feels heat rise to her cheeks, and she breathes in deeply, visibly trying to reign herself in. It takes a moment, but she smoothes her face and drops her hand, appearing as devoid of emotions as before, as if the outburst never happened. She's worried though - not necessarily about them seeing her act so out of the character they assume her to be, but more about the fact that they might tell Sharp about it. That would have the potential to ruin -everything-. She's not sure she could've done anything that would've not made her laugh at what happened, and she can hardly go back in time and prevent it from happening, but it could cause a lot of trouble.  
"I am well," she tells the rat, in the same icy tone of voice she always uses. She moves to the elevator, fully committed to the task of just pretending it never happened to begin with. "I will see how the ship's position can be strengthened."  
It's more to give her time to collect herself than anything else, but there's no way she can admit to that.

"Good idea," Optimus agrees with a nod. What on Cybertron happened there? He realises that on top of everything else, he will need to keep an eye on the Agent. If she isn't like how she shows herself to be, then what else are they not seeing that they should see..?  
"I'll get scoutin'," Rattrap tells them once more, transforming and heading out after Hyperwing. There's more to that fem than meets the optic...  
Optimus nods again, waiting for them to be gone before turning to the rest of his troops, few though they are. They will all need to work hard and work together to get the Axalon in an as defendable position as they can.

((Next up: the Preds!))


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: when I said 'fairly quickly', I really didn't think it'd be this quick. But here you go! Enjoy! =) ))

"Prisma to Megatron," a tall transformer says as she taps the Predacon icon on her chest. She glances at the green, scaled, skin that covers large parts of her body, not sure what to think of it. "The organic form is working fine against the radiation."

Thanks to Tarantulas, Crossblades and Scorponok, they had a relatively smooth landing. The only downer is that the ship broke into two, and that there's not enough materials around to fix it. Which pissed the leader off to no end of course, but even Megatron could see that there could've been a lot more victims. Or any victims, really. They really have been lucky. And at least Megatron isn't angry at -her-, since she wasn't the one flying or steering. But then, these days Megatron isn't really angry at her, ever. She smiles a little as she thinks about their relationship. They both know that that is what it is, and so does Scorponok, but as far as the rest of the crew are concerned, she's only with him because he's the leader and that meant she could become second in command. It makes the troops underestimate her greatly, and that helps a great deal, when it comes to ensuring the leader's safety.

The news of energon in the area, and available on the planet in such great amounts, cheered Megatron up a lot. The fact that the radiation requires them to have organic forms - not so much. Prisma can understand that. The idea of needing organics to survive just makes her skin crawl. Now, literally. With the CR-baths, Viper has been busy putting everyone back together and the medic coding with Tarantulas result in her getting this new form. It was the first they found, but she hadn't expected it to be so slow.  
"For about five cycles," she continues, feeling the first tendrils of the radiation pass over and through her body. "Depending on the amount of raw energon around. And, Megatron, there is a -lot- of it around."

She grins at that, knowing it'll please him. She nearly called him Megs there, but he wouldn't appreciate that outside of the bedroom. She sends a quick coded message to Thief, who's hiding somewhere in the walls of the Darkside, telling the little fembot to watch over Megatron and to wait until Prisma can give her an alternative mode. Not even Megatron knows about her tiny spy, but it's only for his safety that she keeps Thief hidden - optics to watch over him when she's not there to do it herself. Thief has orders to only betray her position should Megatron be in real danger, and to sacrifice her life for the purple bot if need be. It's something that's bound to come up with Megs at some point, but not for some time yet, if Prisma has anything to say about it. She just doesn't trust the others not to harm him, or try to get rid of him. Yes, he's a big bot, and he's powerful, but accidents can and will happen and she can never be too sure when it comes to his safety.

Thief looks at message as it comes through, knowing her partner - which even her commander doesn't know about - will likely get a similar message soon. She shifts against the other bot in the wall, snuggling closer as she uses one hand to sign him what kind of message she just got. She's really glad he's alright - she really panicked when she couldn't find him just after the crash. For all she knew, he could have been in the lava that now forms the floor of most of the Darksyde's command center. After all, their commanders had commanded they watch for treason, as was usual, and watch the commander of the other, which was also quite usual. Drift doesn't know why they're kept a secret from the other's commander either, but who are they to go against the bots that saved them and gave them a reason for living - and a safe life at that. Together, they are aware of everything that goes on inside the ship and with the crew, and since having found one another and realising their goals were the same - keeping the commanders safe - they have been ever so close. And since the crash, Thief hasn't been an inch away from him since finding him, wanting to reassure herself time and again that he really is alive.

Drift has been very accomodating in that, giving her a slight squeeze again now as he confirms he's just gotten a similar message from Megatron. He was near the split of the ship when it happened, the sudden depressurisation knocking him offline for several cycles. As such, he woke up dented, but otherwise perfectly alright. The fact his frame was limp when the ship hit the planet helped him avoid injury. Thief is dented too, but having been in the cargo bay to keep an eye on Terrorsaur meant she was far away from the split, and didn't suffer too much from the crash either. Only Waspinator was really damaged in the crash, but then, no one expects him to remain in one piece all that long, and Terrorsaur had his leg melted away by the lava.

"Excellent, yes," Megatron says, browsing the selection of forms available. There are several fossil records - one of which looks like a nice and powerful alt-mode. "Get Scorponok an organic form and scout the area. We need to find out how far we are from the Axalon - chances are that they are doing the same as we and could mount an attack at any moment.  
He orders Scorponok to the CR-bath to get his new form, though he doesn't even try to look for one for him. Prisma can pick something, he's sure. Although he never says it officially, he knows she can do the job well. It's not for nothing that his most trusted aides are getting their new alternative modes first - aside from Drift, but it wouldn't do for anyone to see the small bot, no. And that one's secure enough inside the walls, within the dampening field of the ship. Prisma usually takes the work out of his hands, doing what is needed before he can order it, though he usually does order it all the same, to show he thought of the same things. He doesn't need to, with her, for sure, but with the rest of the crew, it's important to show himself a capable and strong leader. Of course, sometimes blasting or otherwise maiming one of the crew helps in that regard as well.

Before long, Prisma has walked back the short distance to the Darkside and is back in the command centre. She shows Scorponok a few alternate forms, letting him choose from those before programming the CR-bath to give him that mode. She doesn't like seeing the ship so damaged. Not because of the ship, but because it means it's hard to decide how to best defend it, and their leader. Not even DinoMiner, their tactician, can do much right now, with most systems offline and little in the form of data that she can work with.  
"Finding out about the Maximals would be a lot easier if Tarantulas could get the scanners back up," Prisma says, raising an eyebrow to where the purple, yellow and green bot is working. She knows he's not likely to slag - not now, anyway - but some pressure never hurt anyone. It keeps him on his toes. He's assisted by Crossblades, while Viper is fixing Terrorsaur. Of course the medic and the red bot aren't sitting too far away from Tarantulas - Viper is never far from Tarantulas' side, even though, as far as Prisma knows, nothing ever happened between the two.

Tarantulas bristles at the fem's comments, but refrains from snapping back at her. He's fairly certain that's why he was almost left on Cybertron - though he has no proof of it. He commented against her in Megatron's pressence, the next thing he knows he almost gets closed in the hatch when he runs in behind the leader. A simple mistake - or revenge. There's no telling which, and it's not like he can ask about it. Then next time he can be sure it wouldn't be a mistake...

DinoMiner waits impatiently, needing the scanners or an outside the base visual to begin her part of the work - but for that, she needs working scanners or a beastmode. Neither of which are available at the moment. She doesn't like being kept in the dark about anything. It makes her feel vulnerable. She hopes the scans for the alternative modes pick up something fast and lethal. If they have to have an organic alternative mode, she wants it to be useful at the very least. She glances at her partner, knowing he's just as impatient as she is to find out where they are and what their situation is. Sure they have the Golden Disc, but if they've crash-landed on the wrong planet, it won't do anyone any good. Her partner is currently standing at a console, reviewing the battle data from before their crash. It's incomplete and scans of the portal they came through somehow became corrupted due to the Axalon's lone cannon, but any battle data is useful.

"These systems did not shut down when the weapons powered up," Dinobot stats, indicating a list to DinoMiner. "That is why the weapons took so long to charge."  
It was literally moments longer than usual, but it still put them at a slight disadvantage. DinoMiner joins him, standing next to him as she reviews the little bit of data they have. She growls under her breath.  
"Of course, when you have a tactician on board, it's natural to ignore said tactician's advice," she mutters, for the audio's of her partner only. She and Megatron have come to blows before, about him not following her advice, leading to missions failing. She's thought of those details for a purpose, and what she had to say about them wasn't said just because she thought the words were pretty. It's definitely not said for him to ignore. Big Purple should know better by now. If they are on the wrong planet... She keeps herself in check, just barely keeping herself from snapping at their leader, and moves to the CR-bath when Scorponok emerges. She browses the forms available, beckoning Dinobot to join her. She would like for them to agree on a form together. It would make fighting together more fun. And practical. They know each other's style and basic strategies, and have always worked well together because of it.

Though teamwork is a word rarely used by Predacons in a positive sense, DinoMiner knows that teams just work better than loners. Having someone to watch her back means she can relax at times and sleep properly, the same going for her partner. Of course, teams only work when one can trust the other members of said team. And that's usually where it goes wrong for any Predacon. Dinobot is the only one in her long years of life that she trusts, and she knows very few Predacons that trust anyone at all. Aside maybe from Megatron and Prisma, but she's not sure whether that's for show or not. Whenever she's sure about the two of them not being anyone but bedbuddies, she catches a glimpse of it being more than that, but it's so rare it's basically non-existant, and at the same time, whenever she thinks of more, she sees evidence of the opposite. And that's just the tip of the iceberg of all the contradictions this team has to offer. It's an exciting puzzle, and she's never bored, that's for sure.

Making her way to the exit with Scorponok, Prisma sends Thief a command to be as sharp as ever. She doesn't need super-audio's to know half the crew is on their toes. It could turn ugly fast, and if it does, she wants Megs to have some extra protection. Scorponok won't notice her sending it, so engrossed in checking out the new functionality of his form. He transforms before they reach the exit, getting a slight thrill over the speed he's capable of. His enthusiasm is hampered when he finds out Prisma's beastmode isn't nearly as fast, that meaning that he has to adjust his speed to that what's comfortable for her. But at least it's Prisma, and not one of the idiots they have in the crew. He knows Prisma almost as long as Megatron has, and is quite sure she thinks of him as a friend, though neither of them would ever openly say such. They're not soppy Maximals.

Thief regretfully leaves Drift's arms, sighing softly. She was comfortable there. But in order to give proper heed to the new order she's received, she needs to move and get herself in a position from which she can properly aid Megatron, should the need arise. It also lets Drift use the opportunity to move to another position though, and he makes use of it by listening in on some of the conversations going on. He heads for the Dino's first.

"These look deadly," Dinobot comments, indicating the fossil record of a large lizard. "Although not built for speed... This?"  
DinoMiner looks at the second mode he indicates, then smiles.  
"See those legs? They can run," she says, nodding, agreeing with his choice. "Let's go with those."  
He might not have been trained to think tactics, but DinoMiner quite likes how Dinobot always knows what they need and what they want, without needing more than half a word. Hopefully the assumption of the legs looking muscled and fit to run will be accurate. She would like fast and deadly, a lot. She programs it into the machine, letting Dinobot go first. She won't let it out of her sight while he's in there, so no one can tamper with it. When he comes out a few cycles later, she looks him up down after he transforms and tests each new limb and his tail.

"This is acceptable," he confirms as he transforms back, waiting as DinoMiner did whilst she enters the bath and gets the same beastmode. The female version appears to only be a little different from his. Slightly smaller and lither, she looks almost exactly like him. The fembot smiles at him, flexing her muscles as he did. She can feel the power of this beastmode, the promise of speed. She quite likes it already. She transforms, revealing her own self again. She has never been one of those fembots with skinny forms, where a bot can wrap their hands around their waists with one hand, and that hasn't changed now either, with the muscle tissue of the organic form.  
"I quite like it," she admits.  
"You wear it well," Dinobot complimets her with a nod, before tapping his comlink. "DinoMiner and I will scout counter-clockwise, Megatron."

"Very well," Megatron replies, riding his hovering platform down to the CR-bath to get his own new form. He has decided to go for one of the fossils after all, but naturally one more powerful than the one that Dinobot and DinoMiner chose. More powerful, and larger. He's always been taller than any of the other bots on his team and he quite likes to keep it that way. As a leader, he can't be half as intimidating if anyone towers over him. And oh, he likes to be intimidating. Embedding fear into the troops is the best way to manage said troops he's found, even if Prisma doesn't always seem to agree with him. And maybe she has a point, but it is definitely the most fun way to run a crew. He programs the bath, then enters it, knowing Drift should be watching, and not knowing that it is Thief keeping an optic on him instead.

"Excellent," Tarantulas chuckles as one of the sensors comes online, flagging Prisma and Scorponok outside the ship. He swears though, as the green turns red as it decides to target them as hostiles instead. With the weapons out of action it can't attack them, but it's a bad glitch to have. He starts tapping at the keyboard to fix the obvious glitch. Next to him, Viper chuckles softly. Having finished fixing Terrorsaur, she's send him off, not wanting the red bot to interfere with her T-time.  
"Best not let anyone see that, lest they think it's on purpose," she tells the other bot, but she's grinning. She'd never actually tell on him. She's been none too subtle about the fact that she likes him, brilliant mind and mad laughter and all. She adores his wicked sense of humour, and the way he sees opportunity everywhere, whether it's the opportunity to invent something, do something devious, try to take over the Predacons, or anything really. He's just a lot of fun to be around.  
"As far as -she- goes, it just might well be," Tarantulas chuckles, though he manages to correct the error, bringing both signals to 'friendly'. "It appears that most of the sensor arrays were damaged beyond what I can do here..."

Viper giggles softly, nodding her agreement, before she sighs at the other news he gives. This job isn't easy for her Tar. From scientist to having to fix systems... That must have sucked. But even this he's doing so brilliantly. His brilliance really does show in everything that he does. Even when he's walking, though she 's not sure how he pulls it off.  
"And I just -know- who'll have to get everything fixed... I'll help though, Tar..," she promises with a smile.  
"It's a good thing that the new alt-mode I have chosen will be quite suitable for hard-to-reach places," Tarantulas says, quite happy with himself at having thought ahead.  
"What mode is that?" Viper asks with a grin, leaning towards him in a way that betrays her curiosity. She knows he knows she likes him, but for some reason she doesn't know, he never gives into her advances. After all, he serviced plenty of fembots back on Cybertron... But maybe, now that there aren't many fembots around, he'll take a liking to her after all. "And do you have any idea of what I should get?"

"This creature is capable of climbing sheer surfaces - so ideal for hull repairs," Tarantulas tells her, showing her an image from the area scans of an eight-legged tarantula. Of course, it will also be ideal for hiding in wait for annoying fems that need getting rid of.  
"Oh, that sounds and looks awesome, Tar," Viper says, clapping her hands enthusiastically. He's so clever, thinking of things like that. Not that she herself is dumb. She's clever too, but Tar is a master at thinking outside of the box. He's given her the most wonderful ideas of what to do to the Maximals they captured back on Cybertron. As a medic, it's her job to fix bots, but she enjoys it a lot more when she's taking them apart. And especially when Tar is there watching.  
"I definitely need to get a cool mode too... And something that's not defenceless when I'm in it. D'you have any ideas?" she asks again, really not minding that he didn't reply to her asking the first time. She's used to it. She can hardly expect him to stop his brilliant mind from thinking just because she's talking to him.  
Tarantulas scrolls through the list of other fauna and stops on a snake.  
"Scans show this one has venom in its fangs," he tells her with a chuckle. "You can't get more protected than poisons."  
Of course, aside from having venom to kill threats with, it also means a natural immunity to at least some venoms. It's why the spider is a good mode for him all the more.

"Oh, then I'll go for that, definitely!" Viper says happily, liking how he's thought of something cool like that - and it fits her name so well, too. She leans over and kisses his cheek affectionately. "Thanks, Tar, you're the best!"  
This is one of those times where it's hard to keep her affection for him inside. He should know by now she worships the ground he walks on. It's not like she makes a secret of it or something. She follows him around more often than not, and at least he doesn't seem to mind. She's grateful for that. She just hopes it could be more.  
"I should get to the CR-bath so I can affect repairs," Tarantulas says, noticing Megatron leaving said bath in his new form. "Hmmm.. purple.."  
He heads over and enters in the details, entering just before it starts.

Meanwhile, both velociraptors have arrived outside, both in beastmode. DinoMiner glances about, watching their surroundings a moment before Dinobot points out the two moons to her. She growls - it sounding a lot more real now that she has a beastmode to growl with.  
"This is not the planet advertised on the golden disc," she says, gesturing at the two orbs reflecting light from the lone star this planet circles. "He brought us to the wrong planet!"

"We knew this would be a possibility," Dinobot says ruefully, though his growl matches her own. They had discussed how Megatron might screw this up before joining this mission. They knew the plan had potential, and could go a long way to freeing their people from Maximal oppression, but there was always the risk that this would happen. Nodding grimly, DinoMiner looks from the moons back to her partner.  
"The question now is; what will we do about it?" she says softly. She doesn't want to be overheard - it already sounds like mutiny, even if they haven't yet decided whether that is what this will be or not.

"Our options are to either stay here, leave, or join with the.. Maximals," Dinobot tells her, the last option not sounding ideal to him. "In any of those cases, we can only stay here - there is no way off the planet without help."  
"Another option is overthrowing Megatron and saving what can be saved," DinoMiner says. "This world does have energon, and it might help us free our people, despite this not being the right planet. But I do not trust Megatron to do it right."  
"Scorponok, Terrorsaur, Tarantulas, Prisma, Crossblades and Viper," Dinobot lists, shaking his head. "They are in this more for the thrill than for the noble goals. Taking out Megatron would be simple enough, but I doubt they will turn to our side without the fear of him."

DinoMiner rubs her chin with a claw, having to admit she likes how these modes have arms they can still use.  
"Perhaps. Prisma would certainly try to kill us right away, and Scorponok might prove too loyal as well, but the rest will likely think us the weaker leaders and would wait for an opportunity to strike and feign loyalty until then. Of course, with us being the warriors we are, and me a tactician at that, they will not get that opportunity," she muses aloud, letting Dinobot in on how she reckons their leadership would go.

Unknown to them, a message is send to Megatron at that very moment, Drift having heard enough to know the two bots are a threat, at the very least. 'Dino's, mutiny' is all it contains, but it is enough. He copies it to Thief too. They shared their private communication codes only a few days before they left Cybertron. In this line of work, it shows their complete loyalty to each other.  
"If we move now, we can catch him before Prisma returns," Dinobot suggests. Although she is the tactician, he knows it's an opportunity they shouldn't waste, even if it means running in without a perfect plan, something he knows DinoMiner doesn't like to do.

"Yes.. There's not much more time to plan anything, and if Prisma returned... no.. Now's the time to act," DinoMiner agrees, transforming and grabbing her gun as she heads back into the base. The weaponry is new, and smaller than she had expected. Something to look into later. They don't have time to get to know their new forms properly right now. But what she's seeing is far more than pleasing, in strength, but in Dinobot's case, definitely in looks as well.  
Dinobot transforms and nods, transforming as well and getting his sword out as he joins her. They haven't gotten far, so Prisma wouldn't have time to get back even if a comm-call got to her. Dinominer eyes his sword, smiling.  
"I like that," she tells him. "It's a nice feature. And a good weapon."

Drift heads back inside with all due speed. He is starting to feel the effects of energon overload sparking through his systems so, even if Megatron wasn't in danger, he would need to get back to the Darkside. Thief has surely send the message about the mutiny on to Prisma, even if the fembot doesn't have a reason to return to the base yet.

Entering the command centre again, DinoMiner makes no secret of her intentions, aiming her gun at Megatron. She knows this won't end peacefully. Predacon-takeovers are never peaceful.  
"Megatron, you failed," Dinobot states. "Not only did you fail to destroy the Maximals when you had the chance, you failed to bring us to the right planet! We stole the Golden Disc for nothing! You idiot!"

Megatron has been scowling ever since he got the message from Drift, and it doesn't exactly leave when Dinobot goes about insulting him and DinoMiner is aiming a weapon at him. He's armed, and he's ready, so not afraid, which he shows by being in his beastmode at the moment. But this is not the way his troops should be treating him, no.  
"I beg your pardon... What did you call me?" he asks.

"You heard. You are an idiot and an incompetent leader. And we are taking over," Dinobot says, gesturing a moment to the fembot at his side. DinoMiner keeps from smiling at her partner's speech. To the point and blunt as always. It's one of his best features. Even if insulting Big Purple might not be the best of ideas. Then again, she knows from experience that enemies that are pissed off make mistakes more quickly than others.  
"I challenge you to battle, Megatron. The winner shall lead the Predacons, and the loser.. shall be destroyed," Dinobot continues, now earning a quick look and a frown from DinoMiner. This wasn't what she had in mind. It could be a big mistake, but she has to admit it might also be a stroke of brilliance on his part. Either of them can take Megatron in single combat if they concentrate, and if it's just one against one, there would be no need for the others to join in. They would have to follow the new leader afterwards, intact and undamaged.

"Ah.. you're so impulsive, Dinobot. Brave, but misguided," Megatron says, taking the tone of a parent with an impatient child who has to be far more patient than he's willing to be.  
"Do you accept my challenge?" Dinobot asks, growling under his breath at the tone. DinoMiner keeps her hand and aim steady. This is definitely not going as she planned it in her head. She wants to be ready for anything.  
"There is more to being a leader than simple courage," Megatron continues, as if Dinobot hasn't spoke at all. "Why, there's cleverness, and cunning as well.. Isn't that right... Crossblades..?"

He steps aside, revealing the transformed and fully armed fembot behind him. Always having been one for heavy weaponry, Crossblades grins as she fires a missile at the sword-wielding bot. She could almost commend the Dino's attempt at taking over. Almost, if it wouldn't have ruined the deal she has going with Megatron. As long as he's in charge, she gets her end of the deal. She doubts either Dino would be as accommodating.  
DinoMiner curses, quickly pushing Dinobot away, but the rocket hits him anyway, doing quite some damage. She fires at Megatron and Crossblades, but the two easily dodge the shots. Megatron transforms, aiming his T-rex head-shaped cannon on his right arm at the fem and firing back as he runs for cover, leaving Crossblades to fend for herself, not noticing the tall green and grey fembot has long since found a console to hide behind.

"Do not be fools!" Megatron calls, annoyance in his voice more than anger. "You cannot possibly win."

Dinobot scrambles up, seeing Viper stood next to the CR-bath - which is finishing a process. He runs at her, letting out a battle-cry.  
Viper squeaks as Dinobot charges her, taking out her weapon and firing at him. She had so hoped to avoid conflict like this. She's not a warrior. She prefers not to fight at all. Maim and torture, sure, but fight? Her gun is small and light, confirmation that she's never had need of a proper weapon. She hopes Tar will have something better to fire with, or will miss her at least a little bit if she dies now. Which would be a shame, really.

In the mean time, DinoMiner is diving to the side as she does a quick scan of herself to find out any handy options she might have. She rolls, then rises again, firing the gun. It's then that she finds new weaponry in her systems. Eyelasers. Those'll come in handy. She uses it instantly, firing at where Megatron is hiding. She knows they can't let this battle drag out. Too many troops could come to Megatron's aid, and fighting four bots with just Dinobot at her side is plenty already, in her opinion.

Drift watches the console Megatron is hiding behind erupt in sparks but remains hidden. Megatron ordered him to. He just hopes Thief takes note of that order as well, even though it didn't come from her own commander. Stuck on a planet as they are, he knows they'll be very useful to their commanders, being able to spy as they do.

Dinobot takes a glancing blow from one of the shots, but it doesn't slow him down, his arm barely being scorched, just as Viper feared. He swings his sword a Viper just as Tarantulas emerges from the bath. The sword is deflected by Tarantulas' new limb as it lashes out at him, sending it slashing into the bath-base. The spider fires a web out from behind him, attaching the raptor-bots arm to the bath.

"Phew!" Viper breathes in relief, wasting no time and blasting Dinobot with her small gun in his face up close and personal. There at least, the small weapon might do -some- damage. And it's rewarded when Dinobot howls in pain, grabbing his face and unable to think for a nano. She grins at her handiwork a moment before quickly moving around the bot and taking a position up behind Tarantulas. "That was more than perfectly timed, Tar. Thanks! And might I add that you look even more delicious now than you did before? I mean.. You were breathtaking and amazing before, but now you give the scale of awesome a whole new level!"

Megatron controls a hovering platform remotely and aims it to ram DinoMiner from behind as he fires several blasts to cover his retreat to another hiding places. DinoMiner feels her frustration-levels rise. The coward! She hasn't got time for this, and he just keeps on hiding. Which is probably exactly why he does so. She thought he was more of a warrior than that tough. Then the platform slams into her back, causing her to be sent to her knees before the thing passes over her. She quickly lets herself fall further and rolls away before Megatron can use the platform to pin her down. He really is an honourless bastard. She fires at his position again as soon as she is able, though with the lack of Dinobot helping her in this, she's not sure of their success.

By the time DinoMiner fires again, Megatron has already moved though. He transforms to beastmode, the bipedal lizard charging straight at her. Judging by the gasp, the move takes her by surprise, and she only manages to get a hit or two in before he is upon her.

"Foolish fembot, your mutiny was doomed to failure the moment you thought about it!" he bellows, his massive powerful jaws snapping at her, tearing at her systems.

Glancing at Dinobot, DinoMiner does her best to ignore the pain. If Dinobot is indeed blinded, this really won't end well. She hates that Megatron has a larger beastmode than she does, but at least the difference in size and strength means it's not honourless to fight him while still being transformed. She scans her systems again for weapons, finding none she's not already used but her claws. She extends them, scratching at Megatron's optics. She needs to get Dinobot and get out of there, escape and regroup and replan everything.

The T-rex sees the move coming though and he recoils before she can hit his optics. The large form is more agile than it looks, if not faster. But the change in posture allows her to escape from beneath him. She wastes no time, heading for Dinobot immediately.

Dinobot manages to focus his good optic on the webbing holding him down, which he blasts with his optic-laser. Doing so causes him pain though, as his other optic tries to fire at the same time, but cannot. Tarantulas, seeing that Dinobot is only getting angrier now, grabs Viper and scuttles away. DinoMiner takes Dinobot's hand, having run to reach him and aid him, and heads for the exit, firing behind her to cover for them.

"We need to regroup," she says, hating that, but there is no other option at the moment. Staying would more than likely end in their termination. Once they're outside, they can speak about what they will do at length, but for now they just need to remain alive.

A sigh of relief escapes from Viper's lips as the Dino's make a break for it, taking a moment to cuddle Tarantulas fondly.  
"This new mode makes for better cuddling as well as raising that awesome-level, Tar. And you're even more yummy now," she says, still not having the courage to actually kiss him or do more than just that cuddle, though she often wishes she could do it. "Thanks for saving my butt."  
"Well, I will not rely on Terrorsaur or Scorponok to aid me in repairs..," Tarantulas says, letting go of her as the Dino's escape. He transforms and runs a diagnostic, then continues with a chuckle. "I may be called mad, but I'm not crazy."

Megatron transforms again and slams his hand on the nearest console.  
"Weapons, Tarantulas!" he bellows, unsuccessfully bringing up the Darkside's outer defences.  
Tarantulas jumps and rushes to a console to try and give the leader at least something.

DinoMiner breathes a silent sigh of relief once they get out of range from any weapons the Darkside might have left. She slows down, changing their direction to throw off any followers Meatron might have sent, then looks at her partner. She's still holding his hand, she finds.  
"Are you alright? How badly did they damage you? Can you transform?" she asks, knowing that being in beastmode will be a necessity, and soon.  
"I think so..." Dinobot nods, not allowing her a good look at his face before he transforms. He shakes his raptor head as suddenly he can see through two feeds again, before nodding.  
"Were you harmed?" he asks. He definitely won't be misjudging the scientist again...  
"Nothing too bad," DinoMiner says, frowning at him worriedly as she transforms as well. "But we will need medical aid. There's only so much internal repairs can do."  
She grimaces, looking at the ground as she sighs.  
"I am sorry, Dee... I messed things up, and now we'll need to make a truce with the Maximals," she says softly, her claws clenching into fists. This isn't the way it's supposed to go. Not the theft of the Golden Disc, the flight, arriving at a planet, anything. But they are survivors and survive they will - together.

Dinobot briefly considers suggesting they rule the Maximals, but she has already realised that they are in no fit state to take on several enemies. She -is- a tactician after all, so is probably five steps ahead at all times. He still wants to argue though, but that's just pride and sheer stubbornness and he knows it.  
"Now we just need to locate them..." he says.

"By my calculations, we're heading there now. Prisma and Scorponok are taking the long way around, going with the last coordinates we got, but they didn't see the ship spinning, and I did. So with any luck, we will get there before them," DinoMiner says, grateful he doesn't make her feel worse about her failure. But then, he hardly ever does. She never wants to take that for granted though. The loyalty he shows her is very rare amongst Predacons. She hopes he knows she's as loyal to him as he is to her.

"Our alt-modes are faster," Dinobot tells her with a nod, glad she has already worked out which way to go. As they leave the crater, he notices that there are many more mammals around than lizards. Their chosen beastmodes are hardly going to be inconspicuous...  
Looking around to see what he is looking at, DinoMiner notices the same, letting out a dry chuckle.  
"We may stand out, Dee, but we're more powerful than any of them," she says. "We don't need to blend in. Though I am sure that, if we tried, we could move very silently indeed."  
She picks up the pace then, going for a jogging speed that they will be able to keep up for megacycles. Dinobot follows her example, glad she doesn't want to tire them on their trip to the Maximals. He's also glad is optic isn't leaking fluids. They may be powerful forms, but she probably can't carry him that far.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: I'm starting to think there aren't that many BW-fans out there anymore. I remember back in the day where even my BW-fics would get lots of love *reminisces* But I understand all about real life catching up on people and making it hard to just spend your time lazing about.  
Either way though, I'm hoping that if you're reading this, and if you like the story, and also if you don't like it, you'll let me know, and why =)  
Also; this is where I start deviating from the rp a bit. I want to make this fic match the series more, while at the same time, sticking with the characters we made =) I know the potential is there. I just hope I do it justice XD  
Also 2; to explain Cheetor dying; I've always found it hard to believe that no one would have died in the crashes of the ships, and Cheetor is a fun bot (I had the biggest fangirlcrush on him when I first watched BW about 15 years ago (that is, until I got to know Dinobot better, and then Rampage and Depth Charge arrived, and, as George Takei would say it, 'oh my' XD ), but he doesn't get much depth until season three and I don't want him to sit around for two seasons worth of writing doing nothing much. ))

Rattrap heads down the elevator, carrying a piece of debris and tossing it away as he arrives underneath the Axalon. He's not feeling all too happy. Heavy work has never been his forte.

"Man.. all this for a golden disc..." he complains, throwing his arms up in frustration. It's one thing to be downgraded into this little grey form - though, he has to admit to himself, if not to anyone else, he quite likes his beastmode, and the way it fits into all kinds of hard to reach places.

"It was Cybertron's morst carefully guarded relic, Rattrap," Optimus Primal explains, as always patient. He knows Rattrap always complains, even if there's not really anything to complain about. It seems part of his make-up. But he still wants to make sure both Rattrap and the other crewmembers around understand the importance of what was happened. It's important that they know they didn't crash for nothing, that Cheetor's death wasn't futile. "It gave the location of a major energon source. That's why Megatron stole it.."

"Yeah, like I care," Rattrap says, rolling his optics. "You know, we were supposed to be doing deep space exploration!"

He points at the sky in frustration where, since it is daytime, there's no space or star to be seen.

"Playin' galactic patrol wasn't nowhere in my job description, y'know what I'm sayin'? You sure you're cut out for this commander-gig?"

Optimus sighs, but before he can react, Sharp does it for him. She can't stay outside for long, so while she's transformed and able, she wants to make sure to leave a good impression.

"Remember the Great War? If the Predacons get enough energon, they'll start one again. We have to make sure that doesn't happen," she says, getting an agreeing nod from the Maximal commander.

"Besides, you wanted exploration?" Optimus joins in, gesturing at the world around them. "And here we are, on an unknown planet, what more do you want?"

Frankly, he's worried about the Predacons, but he is excited. With the amounts of energon about, this is more than they bargained for, for sure, but it might give them new insights in what they need to survive, and how it affects wildlife and plants.

"Well, eh, call me picky, but a working spacecraft might be nice..." Rattrap points out.

"There's just no pleasing some people," Optimus replies, stifling a chuckle. The elevator lowers again, revealing Tailbite as she aids in removing the debris, even if she can't carry the heavy things. Rhinox is sitting underneath the ship, having a hard time tinkering with machines in his beastmode, but knowing he can hardly entrust it to others, and he can't exactly waste his transformed time, in case the Predacons attack.

Hyperwing is a ways off, just starting to return to base and crossing a narrow natural bridge over a raveen. She was scanning their surroundings and making a more detailed map for herself. It's important to know how they are situated, and since they've had a few hours of peace since landing, it stands to reason that it won't be long before they'll have to engage the Predacons. From what she knows about Megatron, he's devious, and has some good crewmembers. No match for her, or Sharp, of course, but good all the same. They might pose a problem for the other Maximals, and regardless of her orders, she would like them to remain alive. She frowns as her scanners pick up two Predacon signatures. Alone together, it's unlikely they're there to attack, and unless they have a very advanced cloaking device, there aren't any other Predacons around.

"Hyperwing to base. Two Predacons incoming," she reports over the comlink, turning her back on the base she was heading towards. It really does look like a wreck from a distance, but the position has its perks and might be properly defended, if she can voice her opinions and be listened to, that is. She heads towards the Predacons, transforming and going over her weapons, just in case, and taking up a position on the narrow bridge. Since they're not fliers, she can hold them off there, with ease.

"Don't engage," Optimus replies immediately. He looks at the bots around him. Tailbite will be next to useless if it should come to blows, but he'd rather not take any chances. Sharp already can't join them, her beastmode meaning she's stuck at the base unless there's a route for her to follow in the water running under the base. She'll just have to hold the fort, in case it's a trap. "Sharp, you stay here and keep an eye on the scanners. The rest of you, with me."

As they set out to join Hyperwing, the frog-lady is watching two dinosaurs approach. Velociraptors, if her guess is right, which is probably is. One slightly larger than the other. They're both watching her, and they're likely both aware of more Maximals coming to assist her. The fact that she's already transformed should warn them she's not afraid to engage them should they pose a problem.

Dinobot has mixed feelings when he sees the Axalon on the horizon and the Maximal standing between it and them. DinoMiner has assured him her strategy is sound, and that it will allow them both to be repaired, but this is literally the nest of the enemy. He doesn't like it, and they will be vastly outnumbered.

"The enemy of my enemy is my friend," DinoMiner says under her breath, meant for Dinobot's audios only. It's not hard to pick up on his tension, and it does nothing to soothe her own. But this is needed, and with the options available to them, it is by far the best decision. The Maximal standing in their way activates what DinoMiner assumes is only part of the weapons available - two canons mounted on her shoulders, one aiming at each of them. She doesn't seem to be nervous standing on such a small strip of rock, meaning she can likely fly.

"State your business, Predacons," Hyperwing says when the dino's are only ten feet away from her, just for show. She has no doubt of her capability to kill them, but they don't need to know that just yet. Behind her, Optimus and the rest of the Maximals arrive and transform, the first taking up position next to Hyperwing. Same as the fem, they draw their weapons and aim them at the intruders.

"Megatron made promises that we no longer feel he will keep," Dinobot explains, remaining in beastmode. "He lied, has put us in danger and would likely result in our deaths if we remain with him."

"That, and he's lead us to the wrong planet," DinoMiner completes, shifting her gaze from the Maximal Commander to the frog bot a moment. She seems familiar somehow. She mentally shakes her head though and tells herself to keep concentrating, and looks back at Optimus Primal. "So we've come to propose a truce - a joining of forces if you will, under the guise of 'the enemy of my enemy is my friend'. You have a base and medical equipment we require the use of, whereas you distinctly lack a number of warriors to counter Megatron's forces, and we -are- warriors."

Hyperwing keeps from smirking or showing any other outward emotions. She knew it! This is the tactician rumoured to have teamed up with Megatron. She didn't want to believe it at first, but now that she is there and has spoken, she is certain. The logic of the proposal is solid, too. Only Hyperwing herself is a warrior - as far as the Maximals are concerned - even Sharp acts the scientist on this mission. A xenobiologist, her file says.

"You ain't buyin' inta that load'a scrap, right?" Rattrap asks incredulously. "Sure, they're warriors, but that just means they're gonna try an'kill us in our sleep!"  
"Settle down, Rattrap," Optimus says in a warning tone. "If I decide they can come back to the Axalon - that their intentions are truly noble - then it would be in the understanding that they would be under close observation."  
Dinobot picks up on the rather obvious fact that last part was more for them than the rodent. He can understand them not being too enthusiastic about getting two Predacons on their team. He's not that thrilled to join that team himself.  
"Give us something tactically relevant about the Darksyde and you can use our facilities," Optimus tells the Predacons. Then, if Hyperwing checks it out and it's right, then he might consider letting them join their crew.

Barely keeping from rolling her optics, DinoMiner manages to keep her calm. As if either of them would expect there to be a chance of total freedom so quickly. If the situation were reversed, they would have likely put the Maximals in the brig and only then start to ask questions to see if they are being honest or not. Luckily for them, Maximals seem to be opposed to those kind of tactics.  
"If you did allow us total freedom right away, I would have very little hope for your survival during this war - because that is what it will be," she says dryly, before tapping a claw against her chin thoughtfully, thinking about what useful knowledge she can share about the Darksyde. It doesn't really matter what she tells them. It's not like Dinobot and herself would be returning there under any circumstance. "The Darksyde crashed into the crater of a vulcano. It basically means they're boxed in and easy to blow out, depending on where the energon vein it rests upon leads. As it is though, they've plenty of power available through the lava for the ship, and energon for themselves. That might not be tactical information that you can use to your advantage, but it is tactical information all the same. Megatron's Predacons are choosing their alternative modes for their powers and abilities, which..."  
She glances at Rattrap significantly a moment before looking back at Optimus Primal, her optics glancing at Tailbite a moment along the way.  
"..I'm afraid isn't what you have been doing. However, the way your ship is situated, you can likely form a decent defense because you can see what is coming at you, and the water I hear running means you can harvest energy with a simple generator. Considering Scorponok and Prisma were send out to locate you, I would say that your first priority should be to get your long range scanners up and running."

Rattrap scowls at the obvious insult, but doesn't rise to the bait. He's found his beastmode useful for getting about the damaged areas of the Axalon as well as access tunnels. Something he doubts either of her bulkier modes could do. Her tail is obviously for balance, unlike his, so less agile. Of course, more useful in a fight...

Tailbite however, pouts, cringing a little at the insult she feels. She thought this mode looked like fun. And it is. She can fly! In a way, anyway. Maybe the Predacon does have a point...  
"How did you locate us before Prisma and Scorponok?" Optimus asks curiously, interrupting the rat's thoughts. "If you could work out which direction we landed in, surely they could too."  
Out of the whole of the Predacon crew, Prisma is perhaps the one Optimus knows most about. When the security cam footage worked out who was aboard the Darksyde, and he received his orders to pursue, he was sent the dossier on everyone. Prisma had a prison file.

"We took another direction, and I paid attention to the scanners when we crashed - the Axalon spun as it crashed, thus the trajectory Prisma is using to locate this place is off by a click or fifty. They can't be that far behind though, as they left before we did," DinoMiner says with a light shrug. She glances at their surroundings, looking for signs of the two Predacons. Hyperwing does the same, though she has been doing that from the start.

Prisma curses under her breath. That's the third time the frog bot looked straight at her. They can't possibly know they're there, yet that shows they clearly might know anyway. But what to do? Attack? Or retreat?  
"Prisma to Megatron," she calls in, deciding to let him make the decision. He won't like what she's seeing anyway, so his mood will be sour in any case, and if she only reports it when she's joins him at his position, he'd take it out on her because she'd have given him an excuse. She was planning on letting Scorponok report it, but this works too. "The Dino's are talking to the Maximals. Attack, or return to base?"

"They're behind the rocks to the south," the Maximal Agent says. "They've been watching, but they must be wondering what you're spilling to us."  
"Why didn't you tell me sooner, Hyperwing?" Optimus asks with a frown. "They could have been planning a sneak-attack and we wouldn't have been prepared at all."  
He looks at the rocks and readies his weapon in case the two do attack.  
"I've had them in my sights, and it was a good way to determine whether or not these two Predacons were in league with them, regardless of how plausible their tale sounds. Judging by the surprise on those two's faces, I'd say these two's tale is genuine," Hyperwing says, raising a metallic eyebrow as if surprised Optimus didn't think of that himself.

Megatron hesitates, thinking it over. If the Dino's are already there, they couldn't be too hurt. With the other Maximals, Prisma, and especially Scorponok, might be slaughtered. But on the other hand, Prisma didn't earn her rank for nothing, and Scorponok does have sufficient firepower. And with himself and the other Predacons - save Viper - not too far behind them, they might be able to hold them off long enough for them to join them.  
"We'll attack once I arrive, yes," he decides, quite liking that decision. Less chance of either of his loyal subjects dying, and all the more chance to kill those traitors. He stomps on, not bothering to notify the others of his decision to pick up the pace. None of them will want to remain behind, and miss their chance to prove themselves better than the others, anyway.

"Roger that," Prisma says, putting on a grimace, though inwardly she's smiling. Should the Maximals have anything strong enough to actually see them, she can't let them see her smile - then they would know something is up. Thankfully, Scorponok is smart enough not to laugh either, though it might be not exactly that, but more the fact that Scorponok has hung out with both Prisma and Megatron long enough to know it's wise to copy whoever is nearest him. He's been harmed most times when he didn't.

"Your scanners must be very advanced, to pick that up at this distance," DinoMiner comments, looking Hyperwing up and down. There's more to this bot than she shows, and she keeps having the nagging suspicion that she knows the fembot from somewhere. She definitely has to look into that.  
"What, Pred's don't got advanced scanners?" Rattrap scoffs, shaking his head. Of course, he can barely see two specks near the rocks - if they're even rocks. Hyperwing does have good scanners...  
"We do. But not this advanced on our person. Neither do the Maximals. Regular Maximals that is," DinoMiner says, looking at the rat with a look that shows she knows he's just making an insult to be insulting. Luckily, the Maximal leader seems to be smarter than the much smaller bot. "It would be nice to have such advanced skills when one faces difficulties, I imagine."

Hyperwing tenses then, both her shouldercannons leaving their current prehistoric targets to point further towards the horizon. As Optimus notices and follows their aim, a large purple T-rex jumps from behind the rocks, roaring at them defiantly. Behind him, a large red bird and a green wasp hover. Scorponok and Prisma emerge further, each standing on one side of the dinosaur, while slightly behind them Tarantulas takes up a position, a large crocodile slightly more to the back. DinoMiner wasn't kidding when she said the Predacons were picking their beastmodes for their usefulness, Hyperwing muses. But by the looks of it, most didn't think beyond usefulness in battle, and with Waspinator and Terrorsaur, their flying abilities were likely more coincidence than use of their RAM.

"I believe you shall soon have.. how shall I put it... difficulties of your own," Megatron says, taking in the sight of those before him. They have been transformed a while, and will likely need time to recover in beastmode soon. Excellent. He transforms, followed by his troops, each and everyone drawing their weapons. They almost look like a team. It would be sickening if not for the fact that he hammered the need for them to listen to him into them so hard.

"We don't have to do this, Megatron. There has been peace between the Maximals and Predacons for centuries. Why start this up again?" Optimus asks, trying to keep the peace. He doesn't like the idea of the war DinoMiner mentioned, and if he doesn't do anything to defuse the tension, it might yet turn into one.

"Peace perhaps on your side, Maximal scum," Megatron snaps, unable to believe the Maximal leader would be that naive. He looks down a moment, his gaze finding Prisma's. She knows exactly what he means and feels with this subject. "But not on ours. Permit me to inform you that an enemy that appears.. peaceful.. may in fact be merely.. biding its time. We Predacons have never abandoned our goal of galactic conquest, no. We have merely been waiting for the right moment to strike."

"You mean like this?" Sharp calls, shooting at Megatron's beastmode's face. She's still a ways behind the others, but she has never been one to be ignored or stand on the sidelines and her gun is great at shooting from great distance. The sooner the Maximals start getting occupied with fighting the Predacons, the better.

"Sharp! No!" Optimus shouts, even though he knows it's already too late. That should never have happened. What was she thinking? She's a Maximal, she should want peace just like the rest of him. He misses the speculative glance Hyperwing gives the other Maximal, wondering what her game is, only noticing the Predacons tense and steady their aim at them.

"A treacherous underhanded sneak-attack.." Megatron says, turning his face back slowly. Part of his chin is blackened, but he doesn't seem too much worse for wear. He chuckles, giving Prisma reason to relax again. He would be bellowing in anger if he had been truly hurt, but this, this is just a scratch. "Oh-ho-ho, I like you, yes. But it shall avail you not, no! For now, the power-gauntlet has been cast!"

He gestures at his Predacons, but doesn't take his eyes off the Maximals. He's not a fool.

"Now! Obliterate them!"

With that, all Predacons open fire at the Maximals. Hyperwing, instead of firing back, transforms to beastmode, using her other form's more superior jumping power to jump over the heads of her teammates and land safely on the ground. She doesn't miss the shot narrowly missing her that's fired from behind. She doesn't think it was accidental. She transforms as she lands, returning fire at the Predacons to cover Optimus Primal and the dino's as they make their way across the narrow bridge, both her shoulder cannons working overtime.

The other Maximals are only slightly slower in joining in giving the others cover fire. The bridge starts to collapse from the heavy fire it takes, crumbling, before falling away, more rockets now passing empty space where the bridge used to be. Optimus Primal is already save on the other side, and DinoMiner takes a leap to make it, but Dinobot isn't that lucky, the large Predacon starting to fall. The Maximal leader, having already turned, reaches out and grabs him, nearly falling himself. Rhinox, dropping his gattling gun, takes hold, securing his friend and leader.

"Going up?" Optimus asks, using Rhinox's hold to slowly step back and pull the larger bot up. Who knew that Predacons could be so heavy? DinoMiner watches a moment, before shooting at the Predacons as well. She just wants to make sure her partner is safe first. She doesn't know what she'd do without him. Still join the Maximals, for one, but... it doesn't bear thinking about. It only takes a cycle longer before everyone is behind proper cover, and nobody too worse for wear.

"Incompetent fools!" Megatron bellows, smacking Terrorsaur from behind, and causing the bird to stumble forwards. "You let them escape!"

Of course, he happily forgets that his fire didn't hit its marks either, but that's not the point. Prisma raises a metallic eyebrow, before transforming to beastmode and slowly making her way over to him, her eyes looking this way and that to make sure the situation is secure. Just because he's mad, doesn't mean he shouldn't be careful.

"Megatron! Look up there!" Scorponok asks, for a moment not aware of the fact that gaining Megatron's attention right now might not be such a grand idea. "The missiles!"

Megatron is about to snap at his third in command, before the words register and he looks in the direction Scorponok indicates. The missiles that hadn't hit the bridge continued on their way, now striking a mountain several clicks away. As they hit, part of the mountain collapses, revealing several large energon crystals, visible even with the naked optic from where they are standing.

"Energon! Yes! Raw, natural energon crystal! I knew it was here!" Megatron exclaims, before he starts to overload, currents running over his body. "Quickly! Return to beastmode."

He follows his own order, transforming. Prisma has disappeared from sight by then, but he knows she's still around. He waits, glaring at where the Maximals are hiding before looking back at the energon, as if he's contemplating something important. But then he feels sticky paws on his leg, something slowly climbing onto him. He relaxes, starting to move.

"And it will be ours for the taking. We move, now," he notifies the rest, as if he's only just made the decision. Prisma makes her way onto his back, hidden from view thanks to the natural camouflage her beastmode offers her. Neither of them would ever really admit he'd let her ride like this, but Megatron knows she'd be too slow on her own, and Prisma knows why he stood there, seeming indecisive. She rests her scaly cheek on his hide, thanking him without using the words. Now, they can move with all due speed.

"Raw energon... In its natural form, it's highly unstable," Optimus Primal says, looking at the large crystals. "We're lucky those missiles didn't cause it to explode."

"If you can call it lucky.. Megatron's on the move," Rhinox reports, zooming in on the moving Predacons.

"He's after the energon. A crystal that size would make him unstoppable," Dinobot states, stepping up next to Optimus and watching the Predacons as well. It feels strange, to be on this side of this war. Strange, and unnatural. He's not sure whether he'll ever get used to it. If, indeed, they will be accepted.

"Oh, thanks a lot for the tip, Scale-belly," Rattrap says, not impressed.

"Will he send fliers?" Optimus asks DinoMiner, ignoring the rat for a moment.

"Oh, for bootin' up cold! You're not going to believe a Predacon, are you?" Rattrap says before the female dinosaur can react.

"That's -my- call," Optimus says, sighing, before turning back to DinoMiner. He can understand the smaller bot's reluctance, but really, must he rub it in at every turn? "Will he?"

"Negative. The crystal is too big for the fliers to carry and only Tarantulas has the skill to segment it," DinoMiner says with a shake of her head.

"Then we have to get there first. Sharp, you return to base, keep an eye out for the two Predacons we didn't see walking towards the mountain. The rest of us will go to the mountain. All seven of us," Optimus says, pointedly looking at Rattrap.

"Yeah.. All..." Rattrap starts, looking triumphantly at the Predacons, before stopping and looking at Optimus. "You, the chopperfaces is going with? ... we're all gonna die.."


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: so, writing this fic has inspired me to finally continue one of my other fics as well. It's nice to be able to continue it, because I hadn't felt inspired for it for a year and half. And now, I find myself writing roughly 3000 to 5000 words per day, if I have the time. It's fun =)  
Also; did you know that there are apparently only 468 BeastWars fanfics on here? That's way less than I ever expected. We need to expand the fandom ;)  
R&R please! Let me know what you think! ))

"So much energon.. With a crystal that size, The Predacon forces will be unstoppable! Yes! The Maximals, and then the galaxy, will be ours to conquer!" Megatron muses aloud, looking at Scorponok a moment. He doesn't look at his back, knowing Prisma isn't to be seen there, but he does hear her chuckle.

They continue on their walk, the mountain still being far ahead of them. It will take time to reach it. And with a raveen between them and them both taking alternate routes, the Maximals might reach it before they do. That's just not something he can let happen. When night has fallen, he calls for a short halt.

"Terrorsaur, Waspinator, go see where the Maximals are. And if you find them, engage them. Take them out or slow them down. We must reach the crystal before they do," he orders, nodding his head along with his words to make them understand the importance. The two salute him, though he's quite sure Terrorsaur's was a mock salute, then fly off.

"I'll have words with Terrorsaur, later," Prisma states softly from his back, for his audios alone. He resists smiling. She always feels what he wants her to do without him having to tell her. Theirs is a relationship build on trust and habit, and they know one another through and through, having spend so much time together over the stellarcycles. Of course, there was a large gap in that time, when she went to prison to save him, but that doesn't bear thinking about. She's back at his side now, and they are so close to accomplishing their goals. So very close.

"When we get to the crystal, the energon fields would destroy us as robots in less than a cycle. We would have to stay in beast form, and Optimus and the Maximals will be there too," Tarantulas says, doing his job and being a scientist, for once. Well, he's always a scientist, but he just doesn't often do actual work for Megatron if he can get away with not doing it.

"They must stay in beastmode as well," Megatron reminds Tarantulas, as well as the others. "And I will handle Optimus personally."

* * *

The Maximals have been making steady progress, though Rattrap bristles every now and again when he hears the two Predacons speak, whether it's to him, each other or the other Maximals. He doesn't trust them one bit. The other Maximals seem to be ignoring him though, setting themselves up to get killed, for sure.

"You know, your flying robotform could make it to the crystal before any of us," Rhinox says, walking besides Optimus Primal. He has been thinking about that a while and though he doesn't quite like the idea, he has to at least mention it so Optimus can decide.  
"No, we have to stay together. The Predacons can attack at any moment. And there may be other surprises on this planet," Optimus says, shaking his head.  
"There are," Rhinox agrees, looking down the side of the cliff they're walking on. He nods his head downwards. "Look."  
Optimus does, along with the other Maximals. Down below in the valley, they see a what appears to be a structure made from gigantic standing stones, all rectangular and cut at perfect angles.  
"Hmmm.. unusual," Optimus says. "Any opinions?"  
"Just one. It isn't natural," Rhinox says. "We didn't build it, and neither did the Predacons."  
Of course, it's easy to deduce that because they haven't been on the planet long enough to build anything, let alone something as complex as this. They didn't have that flair for art to begin with, anyway.

On the other side of Optimus, Hyperwing tenses, promptly transforming and aiming her shouldercannons.  
"Heads up!" she warns, the signature buzz of a large insect coming closer. As the two scientists look up, they can see why Hyperwing transformed - Terrorsaur and Waspinator are fast approaching them. Hovering not to far from them, they transform, then fly in for an attack. The other Maximals transform as well, the two velociraptors along with them.

"Defensive positions!" Optimus orders.  
"Yeah, but what about them?" Rattrap asks, pointing his gun at the Dino's instead.  
"They're with us!" Optimus states, starting to get truly exasperated.  
"Yeah, I ain't buyin' it, just 'cause you say so!" Rattrap says, but before they can continue that line of conversation, the fire of the incoming Predacons silences them. Optimus rolls to the side, seeking cover behind the same rock Dinobot is. DinoMiner is slightly more to the back, picking her shots carefully, but the agility of the fliers works against them. Rattrap dives behind a rock to avoid getting hit, not even noticing the fact that Hyperwing doesn't take cover at all. The fire from the Predacons seems to upset the rocks above them though.

"Hold your fire!" Optimus says. "We could start an avalanche!"

"You crossed y'r wires? They're coming back!" Rattrap disagrees, watching as the Predacons gear up for another fly-by.  
"I'll handle them," Hyperwing says. So far, she's not fired a shot yet. Now, her cannons adjust just slightly on her shoulders, before letting loose two shots. She's been counting in her head, and as she expected, the Predacons halt as their systems start to overload. The shots him them dead on, damaging them. They reconsider, starting to fly away instead, back to the safety of their own group. Well.. relative safety, anyway, Terrorsaur muses, remembering what happened the last time he was standing too close to Megatron.

"Now! While they are weak! Destroy them!" Dinobot says enthusiastically, his eyelasers following the Predacon movement and firing in rapid succession. As such, he hits a number of the rocks hanging above their heads. He's still firing as one of them dislodges, and falls, Rhinox leaping awawy only just fast enough to avoid getting hit. This of course, is fuel on the fire for Rattrap.

"I knew it, you traitor! You tried to scrap my pal!" he says, not even using his gun as he attacks Dinobot, going as far as to jump right at him and knocking him over, landing on top of him. It's only then that he pulls his gun back out, placing the barrell of it right between Dinobot's optics. "Once a Pred, always a Pred."

DinoMiner glares, about to step in and make sure her partner is safe when Hyperwing places a hand against her chest to still her movement. It's a light touch, not meant to stop her if she really wanted to move, but it makes her think. She frowns at the other fembot even as Optimus steps in.  
"Ease off, Rattrap! It was an accident!" he says.  
"Says you!" Rattrap tells him, clearly not believing it for one second.  
"That's right, says me," Optimus snaps, stepping closer to Rattrap and bending to bring them face to face. "You want to question my orders one more time?"  
Judging by the fact that the last three words are accompanied by a finger jabbing Rattrap in his shoulderplating hard enough to make the small bot move, it's clear the Maximal leader has had it with Rattrap's attitude. Hyperwing removes her hand, giving DinoMiner a slight smile to show she reckoned this would happen. There was no need for DinoMiner to proof Rattrap right. DinoMiner inclines her head to the other fembot slightly, a sign of respect and of thanks.  
"I..." Rattrap starts, but quickly deflates. It's not like he has a chance against Optimus. He steps off of Dinobot, but knocks the barrel of his gun against his head a moment. "I don't trust Preds."

As he removes his gun from Dinobot, the Predacon rises, slowly towering over the much smaller bot and making no move to be any less intimidating. If it were up to him, and if it didn't jeapordize their position, he would be scrapping the vermin right now.

"We've got enough trouble with Megatron's crew without fighting amongst ourselves," Optimus snaps. "Now, come on!"  
He sets off, transforming back to beastmode and assuming his crew, with extras, will follow him.

* * *

It's nearly dawn as they arrive at the energon crystals on the mountain, the sky already lightening. Optimus peeks over the edge before heaving himself up, the other Maximals following his example. As they do though, Megatron jumps up on the other side of the mountain, now standing on equal height with the Maximals. He lets out a roar, calling his troops, who arrive one by one. All, except for Prisma, who is there as well, but still hidden. In battle, her beastmode would be next to useless, but she can transform if need be and shoot someone before she overloads. Megatron would rather not have her do that though. No need to take unnecessary risks. They're only Maximals, after all. They line up as the Maximals do, ready for battle.

"Across the galaxy, it has come to this, Optimus Primal. Face to face, tooth to claw. Yes. Have you anything to say?" Megatron asks.

"I say that's Prime. Let's do it!" Optimus states. He roars, then advances, quickly joined by his troops. Both velociraptors are faster, passing him in their speed. The dinosaurs attack as one, going for Scorponok. While one steps too close, making Scorponok lash out, and drawing back at the last moment, the other uses its claws to grab hold of Scorponok's tail and throw him away. It's hard to see which is which at the speed they move and the way they work together.

Waspinator heads for Rattrap, buzzing at the rat and trying to sting it. This would be so much easier if he could be in robot mode. But, he reminds himself, he should look on the bright side - at least without anyone using guns, he can't be blown up for a change! Optimus crashes into Megatron, hammering away at the purple dinosaur with his fists as Megatron uses his powerful teeth to try and damage him, something that's not easily avoided. He manages to hit Megatron hard enough to have him stumble back, but this unfortunately only gives Megatron room to dash at him and knock him over. Landing on his back, it takes all of Optimus' strength to hold open Megatron's jaws, and keep them away from his throat.

Crossblades watches with interest as Rhinox stampedes right at her. As if she'd be taken down so easily. She uses her beastmode's speed to turn at the last moment and do a sweep with her powerful tail, tripping the rhino and causing him to collide headfirst with one of the crystals. She chuckles, quite liking that result, even as the rhino backs away and shakes his head. His head and horn made for such impacts, it doesn't faze him too much, only leaving him with a slight headache.

Terrorsaur sits on the sidelines, hoping to avoid getting scrapped. It's not until it's too late that he notices he's being neared on both sides by two fast looking dinosaurs. He squeaks, flapping his wings to take off, but two tails hit him square in his face and chest, knocking him against the very stone he was using for cover.

"Admit defeat, Maximal," Megatron says through clenched teeth as he tries to bite Optimus. "The energon shall ours!"

"Not if I can help it," Optimus says, grabbing hold of Megatron's snout to clench it shut and tossing him over his shoulder. The purple dinosaur lands some feet away, with his head stuck between two boulders. He tries to pull it out, but fails at first.

"Surrender Megatron! You're trapped!" Optimus says.

"You shall not defeat me!" Megatron roars, pulling himself free with enough force to break the rocks that had trapped his head. He turns and dashes at Optimus. Optimus takes a defensive position, but it's not enough to save him. Megatron's jaws close tight around his leg, tearing into it as he lifts Optimus off his feet and keeps running, eventually colliding with the mountain. Optimus cries out in pain, slamming both of his fists onto Megatron's muzzle.

Tailbite hops back and forth, trying her best to avoid Tarantulas stalking her. She's saved when Rattrap appears, jumping on top of the spider and pulling back his mandibles as far as they go. This leaves Waspinator free to move however, but as he flies at the rat, Tailbite jumps and spreads her arms and legs, the skin between them and the rest of her body effectively covering his eyes.

"Wazpinator can't see!" Waspinator complains, but, true to his nature, flies on. Tailbite keeps hold of him, until the very last moment. She pushes off and floats away unharmed as Waspinator flies into one of the crystals and falls down. Crossblades is kept busy by Rhinox, but neither manages to effectively shut the other down. Hyperwing has been awaiting her chance, and when Scorponok manages to come back onto the platform, she jumps on top of him, effectively sending cybervenom into his system. She does adore her beastmode.

Megatron lets go as Optimus pummels his muzzle, but it turns out to be a mistake. Optimus punches him away, before grabbing his tail and starting to turn, lifting Megatron clear off the ground and slinging him away. He lands a bit further back, dazed, but his body not that hurt. The same can't be said for his pride though. Optimus starts to move towards the dazed dinosaur, not noticing Prisma shifting and getting ready to intervene, when his injured leg gives way and he collapses. He clutches at his limb, trying to breathe through the pain. Still though, he addresses the Predacon leader.

"It is over, Megatron."

"It is never over! No!" Megatron bellows as he scrambles up, promptly transforming. He's aware of Prisma's sharp intake of breath to his left. "For if I must die, I shall take -you- with me!"

Even as he says it, the energon overload sends waves across his body, going as far as to distort his voice. He lifts his rocket-launcher, taking barely a moment to aim, before firing. He knows he doesn't have much time before he's rendered useless. The rocket makes its way towards Optimus Primal and he watches in glee as it gets closer and closer. But then one of the velociraptors gets in its way, using its tail to knock the missile off course. It flies on, passing Optimus just above his shoulder and hitting the mountain.

Though it hits only rock, the force of the explosion is enough to cause the energon to react. A humming noise starts, the crystals starting to sing, but the noise soon becomes a screeching noise that gets higher and higher in tone. Optimus' optics widen as he realises that this'll mean. Megatron feels his body failing, starting to collapse even as he transforms to beastmode to protect his systems.

"It's gonna blow!" Rhinox states needlessly, quickly making his way over to the Maximal leader. With the help of the two dino's, his friend is lifted onto Rhinox's back and he rushes off, the other Maximals in tow. With a crystal this size, it might not even matter how much distance they can get between them and the the mountain before it blows. It's dangerous still.

* * *

Prisma quickly transforms, making her way over to Megatron just as his body enters stasislock. She mutters under her breath as she grabs him, and with Scorponok's assistance makes it to the edge of the mountain. The scorpion looks all kinds of sick, but at least he didn't bail like the rest. She pulls Megatron with her as she jumps off, knowing they can't do this in a gentle or subtle way. They don't have time. She can see the rest of the Predacons making their exits as well. No doubt they'll meet up back at the base. She shields Megatron's body with her own as the mountain explodes behind them, blasting them forwards.

* * *

Having taken cover, the Maximals wait for the rocks to stop flying around before taking a look at the damage. The mountain has been reduced in height so much it can almost be called a hill. Hyperwing scans it to research later, while the rest catch their breath.

"Thanks," Optimus Primal tells Dinobot, having recognized the raptor that saved him on the mountain.

"My actions did not imply loyalty, Optimus," Dinobot says, shaking his head. "I owed you my life. Now we are merely... even."

"I'll accept that," Optimus says, smiling as he nods. It will take some getting used to, having two Predacons around. They aren't exactly as open about themselves as the Maximals are, exceptions there of course, like Hyperwing.

"Yeah, well, eh, at least Megatron's gone, and so is the energon," Rattrap says, standing next to Rhinox and using his friend to lean against as he stands on his hind legs. He always feels taller that way. It's bad enough they're all taller than him in robotmode, save for Tailbite, but they tower over him in beastmode as well. It's just not fair. He grins though, shrugging his shoulders. "So it's over! ... can we go home now?"

"You need to rewire your circuits if you believe that was the only energon on this planet," Hyperwing sneers. She can understand the sentiment exactly, but they mustn't get their hopes up just yet. Not to mention that their spacecraft can't exactly fly and they have a bunch of Predacons on the loose. "The radiation from that mountain wouldn't have reached the base. If it had been the only energon, we wouldn't need these organic forms at all."

"Not to mention the fact that the other Predacons are still out there," Optimus joins in, nodding at Hyperwing to show he agrees. "For now we are stuck on this unknown planet, and Megatron may be back. If he ever gets enough, he could conquer the galaxy. So for now, let the battle be here."

"War, you mean," DinoMiner says softly, looking up at the sky, at the two moons orbiting the world they're on. "Megatron would conquer the galaxy if he were able. It.. it is one of the things we disagreed about. We will join your side, if you'll have us."

Optimus nods at her, placing one of his hands on the raptor's shoulder.

"Your expertise would be much appreciated. As you said, we are scientist. War is new to us, we could learn a lot from you," he admits. Though he'll not like learning about war, but after today, he knows he has no other option. If he isn't prepared, they might lose to the Predacons, and the whole galaxy would pay the price for their failure.

"We could learn a lot about each other," DinoMiner replies with a slight nod. She doesn't know quite for sure what they would learn from the Maximals, but it seems like the proper thing to say. It at least placates the Maximal leader as they start the long trip back to the Axalon.

* * *

"You die, and I'll kill you," Prisma mutters, trying her best to ignore the currents running over her body as she drags both Megatron and Scorponok towards the Darksyde. It's bad enough that one of them is unconscious, but Scorponok fading as well is more than she can proper handle. Her body is build for stealth and agility, not for muscle. Yet here she is, dragging two bots behind her. By their feet and not with that much regard for the dents they receive in their plating, but still. "Him, he can die, I don't care, but you will let me kick your skidplate for your stupidity."

She's been muttering like that ever since Scorponok got into stasislock because of the poisons in his body. If it had been Terrorsaur or Waspinator, she would have left him there, but Scorponok is an old friend and him she doesn't want to leave behind. But she could hardly dump the purple dinosaur they had been dragging forth together either.

"Even if he deserves it..," she mutters.

"And what do I deserve?" she hears behind her, the voice deep and the tone dry and slightly exasperated. She instantly drops both bots and turns around, facing a groggy Megatron who shakes his head to clear it. He seems to be having a headache. Must have been the energon explosion.. Though it feels more like his head has been banged against a rock one too many times.

"You deserve for me to leave you to rust!" Prisma states, putting her hands in her sides as she glares at him, not holding back at all on her emotions. It's just the two of them right now, anyway. "What were you thinking, transforming there? Do you know the damage that could've been done to you? And then firing a missile! Did your harddisk disconnect from your RAM? What is wrong with you!"

Megatron scrambles up as he observes the very angry Predacon-femme, feeling his own temper rise as well. She's no business telling him off like that. He did what he had to do, and she can't tell him any different. She's suffering from overload, but he decides not to mention it just yet. Especially after what she's saying to him now, -him- commenting on -her- overloading might not be the best idea he's ever had. He can't help but smile as he looks at her rile at him. By the Pit, she is beautiful when she is all fired up like this.

"And what are you grinning for, you loonatic?!" Prisma snaps, balling her hands to fists to avoid her damaging her own plating from the grip she had on her hips. "You could've died! You could've died and then what? What am I supposed to do then? I didn't undergo three stellarcycles of torture for you just so you can get yourself killed in an act of stupidity! Think before you act, Megatron! I know there's a smart piece in your somewhere!"

Megatron transforms himself, stepping closer to her. She only plays the prison-card when she's really upset with him. He knows she'd never talk to him like this in front of their troops, so it must mean Scorponok isn't just unconscious, but in stasislock. Maybe they should stop dawdling and make their way back to base to fix him. Maybe.. This just seems more important than that right now. He puts his finger under her chin to tilt her face up to face him, then leans in and kisses her.

Her response is immediate, but the kiss is broken moment later as she gasps, shocked that she let herself get distracted and angry at him for distracting her. She smacks his chest, glaring at him still, but he can already tell her anger at him is fading.

"That's cheating," she accuses him.

"Well, I am a Predacon, yes," he states, quirking an eyebrow at her, trying not to smile. "It's what we do."

She glares at him still, but he can tell he's won. Or at least, that the argument is over. He chuckles, and she moves closer to him, gently hugging him and putting her head underneath his chin, so he can't see her expression.

"Don't do something so stupid again," she tells him.

"Last I checked, I was the one that was giving the orders around here," he reminds her. Ranting and being mad at him is one thing, but he's never been good at taking orders, even from her, even in this. He can't resist teasing her though. "If I want to do something stupid, I'll do it."

"I've no doubt about that," Prisma states dryly, wincing as the energon currents running across her body get stronger. She breaks away from him and transforms to beastmode, climbing up his back again. Now it's his turn to carry a lot of bot around. She can feel him sigh as he leans down and picks up Scorponok's tail, starting to drag him towards the base. The chameleon relaxes on his back, letting her beastmode get rid of the effects of the energon, and reminding herself that if he was truly seriously injured, he wouldn't be able to carry her and Scorponok.

"Once we return to base, you will get a repaircycle, then keep watch in the command centre while I rest," he orders, though during that rest, he'll get himself repaired as well. There's no need to tell her that though. Though they often rest at the same time, the situation on this world is too precarious at the moment to leave the Predacons without watchful optics on them at all times. And Drift may be hiding in the walls and listening and watching, but he's only one both and he could miss things. "And do keep an eye on Tarantulas. He will want to set up a new laboratory. I'll want to know where it is."

Prisma smiles at the orders she receives, both because it means things are back to normal, and because of the sentiment behind them. She remembers hiring Tarantulas all too well. He was a strange one, and she's fairly sure he's a little insane, but he's the perfect bot to help -and- keep Megatron on his toes. Her leader must never get bored, and with someone constantly plotting against him, he won't be. And she's certain that between herself and Thief, they can keep Megatron safe. As long as he doesn't try to get himself killed anyway.

Up ahead, they can see the crater appear that holds their broken ship, surrounded by flows of lava and blackened rock. It's definitely a fitting home for them. Of all the places they could crash, this screams Predacon. And more importantly, the walls of the crater means they may be boxed in, but no one can get close to them without being noticed, the lava interrupting any straight path one might take, as Megatron notices as he crosses them to get to his ship. Scorponok might be slightly singed from them. Prisma gets off him when they get to the hatch and transforms, taking the other bot from him and heading inside. She throws him a glare over her shoulder to remind them of their talk. He chuckles, following her in. Home, sweet home.

((A/N: And that's the first two episodes of the show wrapped up! Now going to see what episode next to work out and what plot of the OC's to work in in between! Hope you enjoyed it so far! =) ))


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: So I'll not be writing about The Web and will likely only fit in pieces of Equal Measures elsewhere. One eps focussed only on Cheetor being.. not sure how to say this politely.. an idiot, while the other had too many things that just don't add up right. I've always felt that most of season 1 was more trying the water than anything else. Still loved it, but it makes it hard to write it all out XD Of course, there will be people arriving and some alien encounters. I'll start with letting another OC arrive! And you learn more about Hyperwing and her intentions!  
Read and Review please! ))

Prisma stiffens a yawn as she moves towards Megatron's quarters. It's been a long two weeks of making the base more defendable, getting broken systems back up and learning their beastmodes. So either herself or Megatron is up delegating things and issuing orders to get everything right. It means they haven't gotten much sleep, and have spend even less time together. She's not sure why she calls them Megs' quarters, when they're hers too. Before, she would pick quarters and then just never spend any time in them, but when they got the Darksyde, she didn't even bother doing that. She stretches her metallic limbs once she's entered, moving to the large bed. It will not be long until Megatron himself arrives here as well, and she wants to see if she can get some sleep before he does. He'll likely want to talk about what's happened so far and what still needs happening. And if they get in the mood, they won't be sleeping afterwards either. She stretches out on the bed, knowing there's noa room on the ship more secure and that her little Thief is keeping an eye on her leader while she's resting.

At least with the defences up, repairs on the Darksyde well underway and two CR-baths up and running, there's less to worry about. If only the Dino's had chosen to stick around instead of turning traitor. With those two on their sides, their numbers would have been enough to crush the Maximals like a bug, and the squashing would be a lot of fun. Now, things are infinitely more complicated. Scouts have been send out to keep an optic on the pesks, but it seems the Maximals have spend their time in much the same way they have. It's a pity that the energon vein that runs under the Axalon turned out to run under the Darksyde too... The fireworks from blowing it would have been so pretty otherwise.

"Prisma, report immediately to the command centre," she hears Megatron say through the comlink. She sighs and gets up again. No rest for the weary. But, it is for a good cause. If everything goes they way they've planned, Megatron'll rule the galaxy. And as his (unofficial) mate, she'll be right by his side, enjoying the powertrip as well. Thief messages her as she walks, notifying her about a stasispod having entered the atmosphere. She makes her way back to the command centre, just in time to hear Megatron order Terrorsaur and Waspinator to leave the ship immediately. She enters as Terrorsaur turns and leaves, seeming frustrated as he flaps his wings. "Fly as fast as you are able. Destroy any Maximals on sight."

Terrorsaur notes the coordinates as they're transmitted, not looking forwards to this job. He's been questioning his orders more and more and has grown impatient with Megatron. He's allowed the Dino's to just wander off and join the Maximals. He's not fit to lead them. And now, when he's just been doing his duty and reporting the stasispod entering the atmosphere, Megatron had the audacity to ask if he was sure. Of course he was sure, otherwise he wouldn't have reported it! And he did check multiple times to be sure. Waspinator joining him as he heads out does nothing to restore his mood. Stupid bug, with the stupid noises he makes. He'll give them away should there be any Maximals at all.

Prisma checks to make sure they're alone in the command centre, before giving her leader a warm smile.  
"You bellowed?" she asks, as if Thief hadn't just sent her a message. She can't let him know about Thief yet. It's safer this way.

"A pod - one of the Axalon's escape pods - is crashing to the planet as we speak," Megatron says, getting off his command chair and striding towards her. "Come - we must get to it before the Maximals. It will be a simple matter for Tarantulas to alter the pod's programming and change the protoform's allegiance to Predacon."  
He doesn't stop to chat, continuing right past her as he wants to get underway as quickly as possible. As expected, Prisma falls in besides him. She puts her hand on his arm ammoment as they walk though, a slightly worried frown on her face despite her efforts to hide it. "But when we return, you should get some down-time. You've not been taking your rest."  
In front of his troops, she would never speak to him as such, nor say such things, but they are still alone now, and she does worry about his well-being. He's been making more hours than even she has and she feels exhausted herself. That, and he has a knack for wanting to lead any and all missions and await their outcome if he's not able to go himself - a trait she admires in him, but it does nothing to ease her worries.

"Of course, of course," Megatron says, though his tone is dismissive. He knows he's not been resting long or often since the Dino's left. He needs to prove his strength to his troops in the face of such a crucial desertion. Since Drift tends to rest when he does, there aren't always optics on the other Predacons. They could plot behind his back - if he ever left them alone for long enough.  
Prisma sighs, knowing that tone all too well. He'll not take the rest he needs, unless she convinces him. Why is the bot always so stubborn..? Of course, she loves that about him, but that's beside the point right now. Right now, it's infuriating.

"They'll not think more of you if you fall on your face because you're too tired to stay upright," she mutters, though obviously meaning for him to hear. It has the desired effect, kind of.  
"Mind your tone, fembot," Megatron growls, the T-rex looking at her for a moment. He wants to threaten her and make her think she is replaceable, but he owes her too much. That much, he remains aware of. If not for her, he would have had no chance to gather the group which eventually took the Golden Disc. But that does not mean he will stand for being spoken to in such a manner.  
"Sorry, I just worry," Prisma says, shrugging in reply to his mood and tone. She isn't really sorry, and they both know it. She's just sorry it caused him to snap at her. She knows that deep down he knows that she is right and he needs his rest. But they both understand the reasons why he's not getting it. As they near the exit of the base, she climbs onto his back, using her beastmode's gift and shimmering from sight before transforming to beastmode. The speed of the chameleon really does leave much to be desired, but no one has to see her riding her leader like this, thereby letting them both maintain their dignity.

Drift fights back a yawn as Megatron and Prisma leave the ship. He's been getting rest when he can, thanks to Thief keeping her optics open for him as well, but it hasn't been enough. He's glad they're leaving - it means he can relax. It's not like he can leave the Darksyde, after all. Thief gently rubs his back, texting him to tell him to get some sleep - she'll stay up and keep watch for the both of them. He needs the rest. And since Megatron will be out anyway, it's not likely anything of importance will happen. He nods a few moments after reading the text, deciding to follow her advice. He lays his body flat and rests his head in her lap, nuzzling against her thigh. It's not the first time he's been here, but this time at least it's for innocent reasons.

xxxxxxxxx

Stormfront wakes to find himself inside a pod. He opens his optics and looks around when he can't sense anyone. A feeling of panic quickly rises within him. Where's his sister?! Even through the pod's shielding, he should have no problem sensing her at least. The ship isn't big enough to block that, nor Hyperwing strong enough to do it. Not that she would - she knows it comforts them. So what happened?

He pushes against the pod door, but the lock stays in place. It's not designed to hold bots or protoforms, so doesn't have an emergency override. Nobody would be stupid enough to get into a cargo pod unless they were told to... The stasis-field kept him offline, but the fact it hasn't opened means something went wrong. Maybe the ship was destroyed, the pod damaged enough to knock him out the stasis field... if that happened, then he might be millions of kilometres away from Starclimber! Who knows how far either of them have drifted, or where they are heading!

Hyperwing pants lightly as she lands, having used her maximum boost all the way as soon as she could fly away undetected. After all, since the Maximals do not know she has a flightmode, it's better not to let them see her fly. It will give her an edge should she and Sharp ever butt heads. But she can't risk anyone getting to this pod before she does. The moment her scanners notified her of the sparksignature descending from the sky, she's turned her scanner-identity off. Now she's virtually invisible, as long as she's not actually seen.

The Maximals send groundtroops to get to the pod in time, and she's certain the Predacons will be on their way as well. There's little time as it is for what she must do, and more so for all she must tell him. She crosses to the pod, entering the commands to open it. There's a light hissing noise, before it does as she wants it to, revealing the tensed bot inside.

"Star is still safe," she says quickly as the hatch opens, knowing that will be the biggest concern Stormfront has.

Stormfront blinks as the pod opens, the darkness suddenly illuminating. Before he can grab for a weapon though, he recognizes the voice. His optics adjust a moment later and then he sees her - though she looks slightly different than before, strange new parts now on her body. He doesn't ask about that though, sitting up inside the pod.

"Where is she?" he asks urgently. He feels his systems reacting to something in the atmosphere, but it's minor enough to ignore. Everything is minor when it comes to his sister's welfare, though. "Did the Maximals find her?"

"No, she's still in orbit. The science-vessel I got us on was ordered to follow a rogue Predacon-ship, which stole the Golden Disc, then dragged us after it through a hole in space and time, ending up with us crashing on this planet," Hyperwing briefly recaps, watching the bot look around at his surroundings as he tries to figure out where he is. "We don't have time for the full story. The Predacons will arrive soon in the hope to reprogram you into a Predacon, and the Maximals are on their way to try and stop that from happening. And you need to get an alternate mode in not too long a time before the energon radiation of this place kills you."

She smiles at him sadly, not liking what comes next.

"I'd much rather have you by my side, but I think the High Command knows more about where we are than they are willing to share with me. Sharp is a part of the Maximal crew. You will need to join the Predacons."

Stormfront blinks as he tries to absorb everything. He starts to shake his head at 'you will have to join', though.

"No... no, no..." he says, still trying to take in the fact that they crashed and his sister is in space. "We were... We were gonna stay away from all that slag. We were gonna go to some planetoid and stay away from Maximals and... And Predacons and. Just get her down here and we'll run away! We can -all- run away! There's no tech on this planet, we can hide!"

Hyperwing can see he's judging the planet purely by what he sees, but he can't see any large towers, or anything actually made from metal. He's not wrong though. She feels her spark wrench at the despair of the younger bot she considers family. She pulls him into a hug, careful not to emit what makes her body poisonous. If anyone could see her now, they'd be sure she wasn't Hyperwing, but her family does know this other side of her, and right now, she just wants to comfort Stormfront.

"And we will, little brother, we will," she says softly, rubbing his back gently as she helps him get out of the pod. "We'll just need to hang in there a little bit longer. Star is safe - I managed to eject her and our big brother into space before we crashed, together with the other pods. But there is nothing on this planet that will allow us to have them land until the pods decide to land themselves, as yours did."

She slowly lets go of him, but only a little, keeping her hands on his shoulders. She feels very much like the big sister she is, reminded of his young age by his reaction. She'd love nothing better than to give into him, but it just can't happen. Not yet.

"We can meet up from time to time, but it's not safe with the Maximals for you. I need to find out what Sharp knows and what her mission is, and how it will affect us and our plans, before I kill her. And that will not be easy. If I don't tread carefully, she'd rally the other Maximals against me and I might not survive that battle, least of all if Sharp joins it herself. You will be safe with the Predacons. And when Star lands, she can join you, and you will -both- be well out of Sharp's claws."

"Why won't you join them too?" Stormfront asks, hating that he will be alone. He's never been alone. Not so completely, anyway. Even if they were separated, he could always feel Starclimber in his mind, and if she wasn't too far, talk even though they were in captivity then.

"Because that will make Sharp suspicious, and if things go wrong, I'll be in a position to offer some kind of warning, and offer help," Hyperwing says softly. She kisses his head, passing her personal comlink-frequency to him so he can contact her at any time.

"It crashed over here!" Terrorsaur calls to Waspinator when he spots the dust cloud that is still rising from the pod.

"No... -Here- here!" he states again, stopping just out sight when Waspinator starts heading the wrong way.

"Stay strong, little brother," Hyperwing says, her optics in the direction she heard the Predacon a moment, before focussing on Stormfront again. "All is not lost. And I will be meeting you as often as we can. In the mean time, you can contact me as often as you like - though it may take me a bit to reply, I'll respond as quickly as I can."

She lets go of him completely then, knowing it's high time to get out of there. In just a few moments, the Predacons will get there. She looks at the pod. She can't leave that here intact. It's obviously not a stasispod. Luckily, if Terrorsaur is anything to go by, the bots by Megatron sent aren't too clever. She fires at the pod with both her shouldercannons, making it explode. She uses the explosion and the new dustcloud it forms to cover her retreat.

Stormfront quickly throws himself to the ground when she unexpectedly blows up the pod behind him. A little warning would have been nice... Terrorsaur comes running at the explosion, swearing all the while. If the pod took the Protoform with it...

"Who are you?" he asks when he spots the fully formed bot. But Stormfront doesn't move. "Terrorsaur to Megatron. The Pod exploded - but the bot inside survived. He has no markings..."

Still a little ways off, but quickly getting closer, Megatron frowns. Maximals are usually so proud of their allegiance markings... It's not like them not to show it.

"Stay alert," he tells Terrorsaur, his speed not changing. On his back, Prisma transforms, but stays invisible. She gets out her gun, before stroking Megatron's neck affectionately a moment with her free hand. As they get close to the location though, she jumps off and shimmers to visibility, aiming her gun at the bot on the ground.

"You are in the presence of Megatron, leader of Predacons. State your name and purpose, or suffer the consequences," she says.

Stormfront grimaces, but more due to the fast-growing pain he's experiencing throughout his systems. He pushes himself up slowly, though visibly struggles to do so. He lets out a grunt of pain as the first jolt of energon-overload thrashes through his body, not understand what's going on.

"Wh-what.. Did you...?" he tries to ask before his arms give out and he's hit by wave upon wave of overload. His hands clench into fists, fighting against giving them the pleasure of knowing they're causing him pain. His body jerks and spasms, making him kick up dust from the ground. He remembers Hyperwing saying something about an alternate mode. Maybe that's got something to do with what's happening to him now.

"Bring him with us," Megatron orders, still in beastmode, as he looks at Waspinator and Terrorsaur.

"But I thought the pods kept them in stasis until activated - what if he's a spy?" Terrorsaur asks, clearly not fussed about any pain the black and dark blue bot is experiencing. He misses the raised eyebrow from Prisma. That's almost half-smart of Terrorsaur.

"Considerign the pod blew up, it must have been damaged. Look at him," she says, pointing at the overloading bot on the ground. She's not in a particular rush to help him either. "He hasn't even gotten a beast mode. He's likely been ejected to try and preserve his life."

She looks at Megatron besides her, her gun still trained on the new bot. Just because he's having seizures, doesn't mean she trusts him. Even when he shorts out and shuts down, entering stasislock.

"The lack of insignia might mean the pod didn't even have time to program him," she adds, a slight grin playing at her lips. That would make the bot a clean slate, fit for them, for Megs, to mold into whatever they want him to be, without the Maximal morals, but also without the Predaconian habit of backstabbing and undermining their leader. A truly loyal subject they can use a few of those. While she's speaking, Megatron is looking at her, but his head whips back around to Terrorsaur when she's finished.

"Bring him," he states again, more firmly.

"My lord..." Terrorsaur nods, looking down at the ground a moment before picking up the downed bot with Waspinator.

Prisma hangs back as the two fliers take the bot, examining the site despite what she said. She frowns as she studies the debris of the pod, not really trusting it. She picks a piece up, looking at it this way and that. Something just doesn't add up about all of this. She shows it to her leader.

"This doesn't look like an ordinary pod," she says cautiously, not wanting to make assumptions too easily. She could be wrong, but... "The material is thicker, and off-colour."

"Do you have a theory?" Megatron asks as he transforms and walks closer to her and the remnants of the pod. He crouches, examining some bits of debris. He was ready to blast the young bot until she suggested he could be turned... He grimaces for barely a moment - agreeing with Terrorsaur... He -does- need sleep... No reason to state that out loud though..

"Assuming it wasn't a regular pod, we could be dealing with a stowaway," Prisma says, licking her lips as she gathers her thoughts. "Which raises a lot of questions, but keeps things very interesting and it will likely give us leverage over him. Especially since he doesn't register as Predacon or Maximal. Of course, what I said before about examining this could still hold true, but I do think we should be cautious."

She smiles at her leader, placing her hand on his shoulder a moment to have some contact with him. Maybe, if he actually goes to take his rest when they get back to base, she'll join him.

"But regardless of it being one or the other, if we play it right, he will have no choice but to join us and obey you absolutely. That being absolutely in the sense of not daring to plot against you for fear of the repercussions. Or because of the simple fact he's not been programmed as a Predacon," she says.

"Excellent, yes," Megatron nods, sporting a grin. "At least one grunt willing to die for me."

Of course the others can be persuaded, but not as readily as one already fearing for his life. At least Drift can keep an eye on the newcomer, in case he -is- a spy.

"I take offense at that," Prisma teases, chuckling. "I may not be a grunt, but I am certainly willing to die for you."

Done with what she can examine, she moves back over to him. They should be moving back to base soon. The pod was in their territory, but she's certain it will not take the Maximals that much longer to get here. They've no doubt send a team too. That doesn't stop her from admiring the leader though. He really is magnificent, as strong and powerful as he is. And she likes that she's one of few - if not the only - that can counter his orders or that can joke with him like this.

"If you would prefer to be demoted, I am sure Terrorsaur would be happy to step into your role," Megatron says with a smirk and a slight shrug. "I would prefer if you remained in my bed though - he seems like a very selfish lover."

Prisma laughs, shaking her head at both his words and at him in general. She takes his hand in hers a moment, squeezing it affectionately. It's quite the mental image, him with Terrorsaur. It would be frightening, if it wasn't so funny.

"No, I quite like my job, thank you," she assures him. "Let the boobs stay the boobs so you can play with mine."

Megatron laughs at that and turns to her, his free hand going to her chest. He gropes it playfully and leans in closer to her.

"Out of all the boobs under my command - these are my favourite," he tells her with a smirk before closing the distance and kissing her.

A slight chuckle makes it past Prisma's lips, before she kisses her leader back lovingly. This started back when they were still very young, still students trying to decide what to do with their lives, who happened to find common ground over how their parents were murdered. But it's grown a lot since then. She loves him. And though the words hardly ever cross their lips, she knows he loves her too. He's very protective of her, especially since she went to prison for him and suffered what she did so he could remain free to pursue his dreams. And she has noticed some bots disappearing after paying too much attention to her, whether it was positive, or negative.

She likes that about him though. His strength, his possessiveness, his humour, everything about him. She'd follow him to the Pit and back, if he asked her. Probably even without him asking her. She breaks the kiss before it can grow to heated - they are away from the base and unprotected. Not to mention the energon buildup in their bodies. Her smile clearly shows how she feels about him though.

"Come, let us return to the base as well. Then you can get some sleep. Of course, I will do my best to make sure you'll sleep comfortably first," she says, winking.

"Very well..." Megatron says, giving her another grope before stepping back and transforming. He wouldn't have minded if they could continue. But he knows they shouldn't. Back at the base though, there'll be time. He turns his back to her so she can climb back on again. "I trust that you will get what information you can from our new guest?"

"Of course," Prisma assures him as she climbs on, putting her gun away again. She transforms and makes herself comfortable on his back. The foothold her beastmode gives her is something to be grateful for, that's for sure, allowing her to ride in style. "First I'll let him get comfortable, and start to see me as a friend, and then I will milk him for everything he is worth."

"Yes, yes..." Megatron says happily with a nod. He hopes Terrorsaur hasn't roughed up the young bot too much... He wants information sooner rather than needing to wait for the bot to regain consciousness by the time they get back to the base. Prisma will be more than capable of drawing it out of him. Over the years, he's witnessed her work her skills in both manipulation and in torture numerous times.

There was a time when he wondered if she used said skills on him, but she has proven her loyalty - and more - to him, and he no longer questions her. Sometimes her actions, but never her motives. It will be highly amusing to see her soften the newcomer, on to use everything he says or does against him. And Drift will certainly notify him should there be any risk to himself and to Prisma.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: So far, 81 people have looked at chapter 1 of this fic, 28 chapter 2, but chapter 5 has only had 7 visitors so far. I'm hoping that that means it's just a very long read, and not that people don't like it XD It's still a lot of fun to write though =)  
Also; to me, childbots, teens and adults follow the same kind of 'aging' as we do, with the difference that when they 'advance' to a new level, they gain a new body rather than that their body grows taller or anything like that. At fifteen years of experience, a bot would be considered an adult, even if he's a 'young adult' (think movie-verse Bumblebee, or BW Cheetor in season 1). But just like with us humans, some have to grow up too fast, and that's easier for bots, as they just reformat themselves into adult bodies.

Read and review please! ))

Returning to the base, Hyperwing makes sure that outwardly she's showing the arrogance, confidence and coldness she is known for with these Maximals. Inside though, everything is in turmoil. She knows she did the right thing, letting her little brother join the Predacons, but she worries. They had better treat him well... She doesn't know how to make certain that they do, but they had better. But without an allegiance to either faction, and with Sharp on the Maximal-side, it is the safest place for him. He is a fully grown bot, and the Predacons won't realise that he's not even ten stellarcycles old. He and Starclimber had to grow up way too fast, even faster than Hyperwing herself - only their senior by not much over a stellarcycle. But she supposes their minds have helped them cope with that.

Since she met them, she's learned a great deal about what minds can be capable off. Starclimber is the telepath, reading minds, speaking to them, soothing them, even healing them. Stormfront has the physical branch of the same powers - telekinesis. The only one he can speak to telepathically is his twin. They were supposed to be one bot, made by the Maximal High Command to control Protoform X, also immortal, but on their side, with abilities to soothe the monster of Experiment Ten. But as they tried to create a spark from scratch, something went wrong and instead of one, they got two. The first of the two sparks was weak, imperfect, but the second spark was a lot stronger, able to withstand much of what they tried to do to it. But when the scientists put forwards a plan to start the same kinds of experiments on Twelve, who would never survive it, Thirteen snapped. Within a megacycle, no scientist in the lab was left alive and the two escaped. It wasn't until after meeting Hyperwing that they choose their names they now go by.

Hyperwing walks up to the elevator to get inside the Axalon, having come from a different direction than the crash-site, and only becoming visible on the scanners again after she was sure that they wouldn't be able to trace her back to the location. Her secondary energycell is nearly depleted though - she'll need to recharge it, and soon, so she can be battle-ready again.  
"Any word on the pod?" she asks as she enters the command centre, having gotten the call to go there same as anyone else. But as far as the Maximals are concerned, she ignored it, much like she seems to do any other order or request made of her.

"If ya cared so much, ya should've met DinoMiner an' the boss monkey there," Rattrap says glibly. He's been less intimidated by Hyperwing since her burst of laughter at Sharp's expense the day they arrived on this planet. Although, the closer she is, the more intimidated he feels.  
"Destroyed," Rhinox tells her, ignoring Rattrap. "Either the Predacons beat us there and blew it, or it was damaged too badly in the crash it took. Optimus said he couldn't even find the blackbox unit."

Hyperwing raises a cold metallic eyebrow at Rattrap at his comment, a silent warning for the rat to tread carefully, before she turns her attention to Rhinox.  
"That is most unfortunate," she says. "If the Predacons retrieved it, it could put us at a grave disadvantage. I assume a mission has been mounted to find out if the Predacons have any new members."  
Her tone suggests that should have been done a long time ago, and more so that they would be idiots not to have done it. She always feels guilty insulting them as such, but it keeps them from coming close and looking beyond the surface. She can't do everything on her own though, she knows. Sooner or later, she will have to trust at least one of them to know the truth and hopefully help her watch Sharp, and help her help her family.

Knowing everyone is either at the Axalon or -not- headed for the Darksyde, Rhinox looks away from her.  
"We're waitin' for Optimus to get back and order one," Rattrap says, covering them. If their commander didn't tell them, they can't be complained at. Surely... That hope is quickly crushed when Hyperwing lets out a rare, but mocking, chuckle.  
"Yes, of course. I should have known better than to trust you to use your harddisks for anything remotely connected to thinking for yourself," she says, shaking her head. She doesn't really blame them for not thinking like a warrior or Agent, but they do need to toughen up and get used to thinking that way, if they are to win this war against the Predacons. She chooses her tone carefully, making it sound a little tired and a lot disappointed. "I will head out and scout for any newcomers in the Predacon ranks, myself."  
She heads towards the exit, knowing these Maximals won't stop her. As far as they know, only Optimus Primal outranks her and can order her around - if she chooses to listen.

"Oh, wait, please stop," Rattrap says in a sarcastic tone under his breath. "Pardon -us- fer followin' orders."  
Next to him, Rhinox remains quiet. He doesn't openly dislike Hyperwing - she's attractive and on occasion seems to be quite pleasant. She's intelligent and has a sense of humour - though that's hidden most of the time. It's obvious to him that she puts up walls for whatever reason. Perhaps it's just that she's doing her job, no matter what..  
"A good soldier follows orders. A great soldier does what needs to be done without needing to be told what it is," Hyperwing says, just before going down the elevator. She's made it clear before that whatever they were before, they are soldiers now, so they should have expected her to say something of the sort. She sighs as the hull of the ship hides her from sight a moment, disliking her own behaviour as well as their reaction. It's not their fault they ended up in this situation, though she has an inkling that it wasn't a coincidence. If only she could hack Sharp's files without the other fembot noticing...

"She is correct." Dinobot growls from the opposite doorway once she has left the room, entering the command centre and looking at the two remaining Maximals. "There is little use for scientists during these times of war. It is time you took the threat of Megatron's Predacons seriously."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever chopperface." Rattrap mutters, going back to his game.

* * *

DinoMiner puts a claw on Optimus Primal's arm, holding him back as they get within sight of the base again. She's been thinking about it herself, and has decided she should share her findings with the Maximal leader. She doesn't trust all the Maximals and she doesn't know if their leader does either - so this has to be addressed outside the base, away from any spy-bugs. With something like this, she doesn't want to take chances. She would ask her partner to stand watch, but Dinobot didn't join them on this mission.  
"That wasn't a stasis pod," she says, glancing from the Axalon back to the gorilla. "It raises two questions; what, or who, was in there, and more importantly; why were cargo pods ejected when you crashed?"  
She deems the leader smart enough to understand the gravity of the situation; if he doesn't know about it, it means someone is upto something on board the ship, possibly endangering his crew.

"Perhaps whoever ejected the pods hit some controls by accident - we were in a planetary freefall at the time," Optimus tells her after considering her words for a moment. He leaves Hyperwing's name out of it. He wants to confront her before he lets either of the two new crew members do it. "And perhaps whatever was in there was simply destroyed with the rest of the pod."  
His face, however, shows that he is taking this more seriously than his words might suggest.

"If you say so," DinoMiner says, frowning at him as she reads his expression easily. She clearly doesn't believe a word of what he's saying. "Accident or no, though, I have read your cargo manifests to know what I have to work with should I need it. There are no missing cargo pods according to the manifest. Whoever you question, Optimus Primal, do it carefully. I have a feeling that more is going on than we know of. And I do not like it."  
She snarls, though it's not directed at the gorilla next to her, merely at the irritating fact that she doesn't have all the facts. It's frustrating. As a tactician, she knows that she can only form a proper plan if she has all the available facts. Knowing that someone is hiding something this big that is a part of the crew she now works with, sits very ill with her indeed.

"I will keep the crew informed on anything pertinent," Optimus tells her, clearly including her in 'the crew'. "Just as I know you will keep an optic out for anything you deem suspicious."  
He then turns and continues walking towards the Axalon. This is just one more thing to add to the growing pile of problems he has to find solutions for. He barely keeps from sighing. As if he didn't have enough on his mind already.

"I will," DinoMiner promises, falling in beside him. "I know you question just how loyal me and my partner are, but on this planet, we have little choice but to follow your lead, if we are to stop Megatron from destroying what we work for. We work for different sides, but out goal is the same - an existence for our kind without war."

"Hopefully we can find a way to accomplish that without arming anyone on Cybertron," Optimus says with a nod. He knows she didn't join up with the Megatron just to find a peaceful way to get a peaceful planet. From what the Dino's have told him, the energon on whatever planet they were aiming for, was to help cause a rebellion against the Maximal 'ruling class'.

A chuckle escapes the velociraptor's lips at that, though she nods in understanding.  
"Predacons will always need conflict. It's why I've been designing something that'll help vent their aggression, while at the same time keeping it away from the Maximals. Have you ever heard of the gladiator-games?" she asks, before noticing Hyperwing coming out of the ship, causing the raptor to snarl softly again. She knows something isn't right about the Maximal Agent - first amongst which is the fact that she makes it no secret that she -is- an Agent.

Optimus nods at her questions - knowing very well that the original Megatron of legend was a gladiator on ancient Cybertron. Is she suggesting they bring that back? He looks from her to the ship whens he growls, seeing Hyperwing.  
"Eager to get my report?" he asks curiously.

"Negative. Rhinox informed me of the status of what you found. I'm going to scout the Predacon base to make sure they didn't retrieve anything of the pod that shouldn't be in their possession, and to make sure they do not suddenly have a new team-member that will surprise us the next time they attack," Hyperwing says, gesturing at the Axalon as she continues. "They apparently couldn't think of that themselves."

"You can't expect scientists to suddenly think as warriors just because they're forced into a war," DinoMiner defends her new team-members, transforming to be on equal footing with the other fembot. She can't help but like that she's taller than the frogfemme, too. "Besides, if you couldn't contribute in this manner, then what good would you be?"

"Thank you, DinoMiner," Optimus says, wanting to ease the tension between these two fems as quickly as possible. "I want to hear more about your idea - can you wait in the command centre for me? There's something I need to discuss with Hyperwing."

Knowing a dismissal when she hears it, DinoMiner frowns. She nods though, heading around Hyperwing without another word and into the base, leaving the Agent and the Maximal leader alone together.  
"I am quite certain that whatever you wish to discuss can not be as important as knowing what the Predacons have gained, if anything. I do not intend to waste time here. If you insist on talking now, we can do so along the way, if you're coming along," Hyperwing says, really not in the mood to answer any questions right now. She has been careful about the things she has done behind the Maximals' and Sharp's backs but if Optimus Primal has found something, she wants to be well away from the base, and especially far away from Sharp's audios.

Optimus scowls as she walks past him without slowing. He quickly follows along and grabs her arm as he speaks, wanting to stop her.  
"You know what was in the pod," he states. "You know -who- was in the pod."  
She reported that all of the stasis pods had been ejected - she was the only one who could have done it. She probably though he didn't pick up on that because he was injured at the time. The Agent glances back at the Axalon, hoping that the short distance they moved from it is enough to ensure some privacy. She really doesn't want to risk it though. If Sharp ever found out who was in that pod, there would be no protecting her little brother. She'd try, for certain, but chances are that she would die. Sharp is the only one to ever best her in combat. She looks back at Optimus Primal, pulling her hand free and walking on, giving him an only choice of walking along if he wants answers.

"There are a lot of things that I know that you do not," she says cryptically, buying time and distance. Once there are rocks between them and the base, hiding them from sight as well as making it high improbable that anyone would be able to hear them - even Sharp - she turns to the Maximal commander. "I suggest you take care when and where you question me in the future. You never know who might be listening. I can not tell you all, and I can only tell you less when there are audio's prepared to listen to all we say. You might want to take into consideration that whatever answers you might want of me, others might want as well. And those others might want to put you down if they think they know what you know."  
Her voice is cool, but her face shows her indecision and frustration more than a few moments before she drops the bombshell. She has to trust someone some time. It might as well be him, and it might as well be now. At least Optimus is in a position to aid her, and seems to be trustworthy, upto a point. She doesn't think he fully trusts Sharp, anyway.  
"I am not the only Agent amongst your crew."

Optimus frowns as she turns on him and starts to talk. He almost didn't follow her... His beastmode's eyes widen when she says there is a secret agent aboard, his mind racing with what they might mean - who it might be.  
"What do you mean?" he asks, glancing over his shoulder at the edge of the rocks. He shakes his head as he looks at her again. He transforms and offers to take her hand. She knows he has a jetpack and he wants answers -now-. The fastest way to get them is by taking her somewhere she might feel comfortable enough to share more, instead of getting more stalling-tactics along the way. As she does, he flies off, but does head towards the Predacon-base, as to keep their excuse of checking the Predacon's possible new addition intact.

Once they're at a safe distance though, Hyperwing lets go of his hand and activates her own jetpack, another secret now revealed to the leader and activates a jammer so that his signal will be hidden from the scanners also. The Maximals can assume they flew into one of Megatron's jamming-zones. She heads for the ground, knowing he'll definitely follow her now, and lands. Only when he's joined her does she speak again.

"We are both hidden from the scanners now, so we have some time, as your comrades will likely think we're in a jamming zone. Most of all, we're free to talk now. Or, reasonably free, at least. I will not share everything, as I do not know whether it is wise to let you know this much already, let alone that much. Knowing will put you in considerable danger," she explains and cautions, starting to pace back and forth in front of him, for once showing obvious emotions. She tries to gather her thoughts, decide what to tell him and what not to, and let him know enough, without putting his life in accute danger should Sharp ever hear something from him. "Sharp is a Maximal Agent, higher in rank than myself. She acts the scientist, but being what we are not is one thing Agents excel in. I have no doubt she has orders that I do not know about, same as that I have orders she will not know."

She sighs, running a hand across her face as she realises just how vague that all sounds despite her best intentions to be clear, and gives him an apologetic look.  
"What I can tell you is that we both ordered to cease all life here should certain events happen, such as the activation of.. Protoform X," she continues, hestating a moment at the name. She hates calling her brother that. He deserves a name of his own. Maybe when he activates as well, he can choose one. "I do not intend to follow those orders if I can avoid it, but I have to learn what Sharp knows about this mission before I can allow her to be terminated. It was no accident the Axalon followed the Darksyde. Otherwise she wouldn't have been assigned to the ship when I was already scheduled to travel with you. And Sharp knows more about that than she has told me."

Optimus decides to keep quiet while she talks, letting her reveal everything she can without giving her a reason to stop. It's quite difficult, given the jetpack and sheer amount of unknown information she's giving him. It finally gets too much, though.

"We weren't the closest ship?" he asks, then reconsiders. "Or we were put in position because someone knew Megatron would steal the golden disk..."

"Neither. You were closest, and were not forced to be there, but somehow Sharp knew we would be made to chase Megatron, that we would come here, and that we would crash here," Hyperwing says, stopping her pacing to study him to know how he is taking all of this. It will be a lot to take in for anyone, she reckons. "She let it slip while attempting to find out my specific orders. At least, she let slip enough for me to puzzle it out."

She flexes her shoulders, trying to make herself relax. It's been done. There's no turning back now. She decided to trust him, and now she should stick with it. But it's difficult. She's used to being on her own, having to do everything herself and having to deal with everything herself. She knows she's taking a big risk, involving him like this, risking both their lives.

"Why don't you want to follow your orders?" Optimus asks after several long seconds, needing to come to terms with all this. In order to do so, he has to know her reasons. If they are solid and proper, he might find it easier to believe her. She's turning his world upside down. Why would the Maximal High Command allow this to happen if they knew it would happen?

"I don't want to follow them, because I want to break free of them. I want to be able to be me, and live in peace," she says, choosing her words carefully. There's more to it than that, but that is the reason that doesn't involve her spilling even more to him. "I want to wash the mechfluid off my hands and right what I've done wrong. Only then can I truly be free."

Optimus blinks at her honesty. He figured she had done some shady stuff - she's a government agent after all - but she's done enough to cause her to wish to renounce her role? He can't imagine what might have caused that. She seems so controlled, so cool, all the time.

"How will this right what you've done?" he asks, picking up on that. "Just not killing the crew isn't really making up for killing however-many others you may have killed."

Shaking her head, Hyperwing finds she's glad that he's giving her a chance to explain when it's clear he's misunderstood what she means. Though she has to admit to herself that she might not have been clear enough in explaining. Voicing one's emotions is hard. She's never had the luxury of spilling her mind before. Now that she can, or now that she must, more like, it's hard to put it all in the right words.

"I do not intend to stop at just letting you live," she says. "I have a number of plans in action and in development that will help undo part of the wrongs I have committed. I can not bring back to life all those I have killed over time, guilty or innocent. I hold no illusions over that. But I can free those that are still alive today from the tyrannical rule they are under. And to do so, I will need your help."

She sighs, giving him a rueful smile. It really isn't fair for her to put this on him, and then ask for his help - though asking for help is definitely new to her. Even more surprising, she finds she's expecting him to agree with her.

"I'm sorry... This wasn't exactly the way I had intended to talk to you, nor the time and place. The pod crashing today and you puzzling together that it wasn't a normal pod, has forced me to speed up this whole revelation-thing," she says. "The whole story will take much too long to tell now, when our time is limited and we must, at all costs, not raise Sharp's suspicion just yet, but for now, I need to know whether or not I can trust you, and if you will trust me enough to give me a chance."

She could have just threatened him, Optimus realises. Or shot him and blamed a Predacon ambush. He nods slowly, considering these events carefully. He'll likely need days to go through everything he's learned today already. And she's already told him there's much more to it than what he knows now.

"DinoMiner also figured out that it wasn't a stasispod," he tells her, wanting to show her that she can trust him by not keeping that a secret from her. "She probably suspects you had something to do with an unassigned cargopod being ejected from the ship. We need a story to gve her."

He figures that is the most important thing right now - she can tell him what was really in the pod another time. If she ever opens up that far. She's not told him yet for a reason, and he can respect that - as long as it doesn't endanger his crew. But from what he understands, the only one at risk is the one that was inside the pod.

The open emotion Hyperwing's face showed before is gone again now, but she isn't quite as frosty yet as she usually is, as shown when she tilts her head, her expression slightly pensive as she thinks about the problem he states.

"Tell her we don't know who the new Predacon is. You can blame the mystery of the cargopod holding a transformer and not knowing the facts about it on me, though preferably without letting the other Maximals know about it. I'm an Agent, she'll suspect me to have secrets and my own agenda. Which wouldn't even be incorrect," she says, smiling wryly a moment, before she licks her lips and hesitates a moment. She looks at him intently. Just when he's certain she won't speak again, she does. "There are two more pods like that in orbit, and I hope that by the time they land, Sharp can and has been dealt with. This one is safe with the Predacons, for now, but if Sharp ever gets a whiff of their identities..."

She shudders, feeling cold inside. "I won't tell you who they are. That is a secret too great to share, for now. In time, I'll tell you all, but a secret is best kept if no one knows about it..."

"I could always tell DinoMiner that the pods must have been ejected by the Darksyde," Optimus suggests. "There were not identifying marks that showed it was aboard the Axalon - all cargopods look identical."

He's incredibly curious who was aboard his ship that wasn't sent into stasis, but he hasn't gotten this much out of her by pressuring her for information. Treading carefully seems to work much better, and as she brightens, he knows that for sure.

"That's brilliant," she admits, hating that she didn't think of that herself - she's supposed to think of all things, always. Especially out of the box solutions. "In that case, it's as simple as telling DinoMiner we've overheard the Predacons talking about retrieving -their own- pod, and reporting a black, male transformer in their midst that we didn't know about before."

She looks in the direction of the Darksyde a moment, a worried frown creeping onto her face before she smooths it over.

"He should have gotten abeastmode by now, but I don't know what it is, so there's no reporting that just yet," she says with a sigh, showing just how worried she is about the young bot.

"I know you can't tell me who is still in orbit..." Optimus says slowly, deciding to try his luck. Given that she has a description, she must know the bot. She was probably even the one that got to the pod first. She obviously thinks the bot will be safest with the Predacons though. For some reason..."But who was in the pod?"

"Someone I see as my brother," Hyperwing says after a moment. She knows she should be honest to him, but it still feels so strange to spill, so dangerous. Part of her wants to rip his spark out, make certain he can't ever betray her. But she does realise she needs him. And at the top of the command of the Maximals, he can keep a good eye on Sharp as well. She has to keep reminding herself of that. "It will make more sense later... But if Sharp knew he was here, she would hunt him down and kill him. The same goes for those in the other two pods. Never underestimate Sharp. She is an Agent, and the High Command's best at that. In some ways, she tops even me."

Given her reputation, and the few things the Maximals do know about her, that's saying something. Combined with the fact that she admitted to having done horrible things in this very conversation, it says even more.

"So be very careful... And don't breathe a hint of all I've told you to anyone. Not -anyone-. Not even your personal journal, or any other system on the ship. It's not safe."

"I won't," Optimus nods. "And as long as we see this bot, I won't even have to lie to Sharp about anything."

Of course, if she asks him too many questions, he could get suspicious and ask her something she isn't ready for.

"What will she do if we confronted her?" he asks.

"Kill us. Or you, in any case. And likely deduce that I've told you -something-, so she would put me out of commission long enough to kill all of your crew, likely blow up the Axalon to hide it, and then either join the Predacons, or kill Megatron and seize control so they can build her something to return to Cybertron in, killing all Predacons before she leaves," Hyperwing states matter of factly. "Likely somewhere in there try to kill me, as well, and otherwise use the Predacons to keep me at a distance while she leaves... She has the capability and the cunning, and has tricks up her sleeve even I don't know about.."

She raises an eyebrow, her tone of voice going cry. "So I would like to avoid it, if we can. I can take her, probably, once I know what her game is, so long as she does not suspect anything. If she suspects me, or is prepared for me, all bets are off."

"Then we won't do that," Optimus says wryly. "Alright - we can talk more another time. We should get closer to see this new Predacon if we can."

He doesn't want to spend too long in a scan-free zone. Otherwise Sharp might get suspicious no matter what precautions they take. He lifts off, then offers her another lift. Officiall, she doesn't fly, after all.

"One thing that works in our favour is her beastmode. For the time being, Sharp is stuck at the base," she says with a slight smile, letting him fly with her. Even though she could activate her jetpack if he should let her fall, the fact that she's willing to let him hold her like this definitely means something. She smooths her faceplate as the Predacon base comes into view. She takes note of her scanners, grimacing inwardly a moment. Stormfront is safe inside, but he'll likely detect her being near, because of their relation to one another. Hopefully, he'll realise she's not alone, too. She can't hide a slight smile. She's not alone. Not anymore.


End file.
